Article Title: Six Months Gastric Retention of a Foreign Body in a 6-Year-Old Child Residing in a Refugee Camp: Case Report
Volume Number: 1
Issue: 1
Year: 2025
Article Type: Case Report
Author Names: Segenet Bizuneh Mengistu1*, Suleiman Ayalew Belaym3, Rediet Getu Degu3, Alazar Wogayehu Gebrehana2, Biniam Yoannes Wotango4
Page Number: 13-15
PDF: [Download]
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64368/ejcmr.vol.1.issue1.2
Affiliations:
1Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
2Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
3School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
4Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia
*Correspondence: Dr. Segenet Bizuneh Mengistu, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; Email: segenetnew@gmail.com
Keywords: Foreign Body Ingestion; Gastric Retention; Pediatric Endoscopy; Refugee Health; Resource-Limited Settings
Abstract: Foreign body ingestion is common in children, but prolonged gastric retention is rare. We report a 6-year-old girl from a refugee camp in Ethiopia who swallowed a 50-cent coin, which remained in her stomach for six months. Despite repeated hospital visits and imaging, the coin was not expelled or removed until referral to a higher center. Endoscopic retrieval was successful without complications. This case highlights the challenges of delayed intervention in low-resource settings and emphasizes the importance of timely diagnosis, appropriate referral, and endoscopic management to prevent potential complications.
References:
1. Kay M, Wyllie R. Foreign body ingestion in infants and children. Pediatr Rev. 2005;26(12):491–6.
2. Waltzman ML. Management of esophageal coins in children. Pediatr Rev. 2006;27(2):66–9.
3. Kramer RE, Lerner DG, Lin T, Manfredi M, Shah M, Towbin RB, et al. Management of ingested foreign bodies in children: a clinical report of the NASPGHAN Endoscopy Committee. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2015;60(4):562–74.
4. Palta R, Sahota A, Bemarki A, Salama P, Simpson N, Laine L. Foreign-body ingestion: characteristics and outcomes in a lower socioeconomic population with predominantly intentional ingestion. Gastrointest Endosc. 2009;69(3):426–33.
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