The following are the most important diseases or complications that may be contributed to by foreign body ingestion:
Respiratory system (J00-J99)
- Mediastinitis (inflammation of the connective tissue of the mediastinal cavity) due to perforation (rupture).
- Obstruction of the airways
Mouth, esophagus (food pipe), stomach, and intestines (K00-K67; K90-K93).
- Bleeding
- Pressure necrosis (necrosis = tissue death)
- Pressure ulcerations (pressure ulcers)
- Fistula formation
- Obstructions (constrictions)
- Perforation – breakthrough of the intestinal wall, for example, by swallowed needles or multiple (play) magnets, the attraction of which is still present.
- Peritonitis (peritonitis) due to perforation (breakthrough).
- Pill esophagitis – when medications are taken with too little fluid; they can get stuck in the esophagus and cause a local chemical burn
- Chemical burns – if an ingested button cell comes into contact with moist mucous membranes in the esophagus, current flow occurs. This produces hydroxide ions at the interface between the button cell and the mucosa. These can lead to severe burns, which can be accompanied by bleeding and tissue death. In the worst case, perforation (rupture) or cardiac arrest may occur (very rare).
- Displacement of the pylorus (“stomach gateway”).
- Injuries of the mucosa (mucous membrane)
Injuries, poisoning, and other consequences of external causes (S00-T98).
- Foreign body aspiration – Foreign body in the larynx (voice box), trachea (windpipe), or bronchi; symptoms: Cough, breathing problems
