Lead foreign body ingestion in children. 1997

J A Fergusson, and G Malecky, and E Simpson
Department of Surgery, Canberra Hospital, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

Foreign body ingestion is seen commonly in paediatric surgical practice and the vast majority of ingested foreign bodies will pass spontaneously once they have made their way into the stomach. Lead foreign body ingestion in children represents a special case in view of the potential for acute lead intoxication secondary to dissolution and absorption of the ingested lead. Lead dissolves poorly in physiological solutions with the exception of the acid environment of the stomach. We report a case of a 4-year-old child who ingested a lead sinker which was removed from the stomach by emergency endoscopy. This case stimulated a review of the relevant literature and the formulation of a management plan for lead foreign body ingestion in children. The principles of this management plan are observation of the child in hospital and use of a protein pump inhibitor until the foreign body has passed out of the stomach.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007854 Lead A soft, grayish metal with poisonous salts; atomic number 82, atomic weight 207.2, symbol Pb.
D007855 Lead Poisoning Poisoning that results from chronic or acute ingestion, injection, inhalation, or skin absorption of LEAD or lead compounds. Poisoning, Lead,Lead Poisonings,Poisonings, Lead
D002675 Child, Preschool A child between the ages of 2 and 5. Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D004492 Edetic Acid A chelating agent that sequesters a variety of polyvalent cations such as CALCIUM. It is used in pharmaceutical manufacturing and as a food additive. EDTA,Edathamil,Edetates,Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid,Tetracemate,Calcium Disodium Edetate,Calcium Disodium Versenate,Calcium Tetacine,Chelaton 3,Chromium EDTA,Copper EDTA,Coprin,Dicobalt EDTA,Disodium Calcitetracemate,Disodium EDTA,Disodium Ethylene Dinitrilotetraacetate,Distannous EDTA,Edetate Disodium Calcium,Edetic Acid, Calcium Salt,Edetic Acid, Calcium, Sodium Salt,Edetic Acid, Chromium Salt,Edetic Acid, Dipotassium Salt,Edetic Acid, Disodium Salt,Edetic Acid, Disodium Salt, Dihydrate,Edetic Acid, Disodium, Magnesium Salt,Edetic Acid, Disodium, Monopotassium Salt,Edetic Acid, Magnesium Salt,Edetic Acid, Monopotassium Salt,Edetic Acid, Monosodium Salt,Edetic Acid, Potassium Salt,Edetic Acid, Sodium Salt,Ethylene Dinitrilotetraacetate,Ethylenedinitrilotetraacetic Acid,Gallium EDTA,Magnesium Disodium EDTA,N,N'-1,2-Ethanediylbis(N-(carboxymethyl)glycine),Potassium EDTA,Stannous EDTA,Versenate,Versene,Acid, Edetic,Acid, Ethylenediaminetetraacetic,Acid, Ethylenedinitrilotetraacetic,Calcitetracemate, Disodium,Dinitrilotetraacetate, Disodium Ethylene,Dinitrilotetraacetate, Ethylene,Disodium Versenate, Calcium,EDTA, Chromium,EDTA, Copper,EDTA, Dicobalt,EDTA, Disodium,EDTA, Distannous,EDTA, Gallium,EDTA, Magnesium Disodium,EDTA, Potassium,EDTA, Stannous,Edetate, Calcium Disodium,Ethylene Dinitrilotetraacetate, Disodium,Tetacine, Calcium,Versenate, Calcium Disodium
D005260 Female Females
D005547 Foreign Bodies Inanimate objects that become enclosed in the body. Foreign Objects,Gossypiboma,Retained Surgical Instruments,Retained Surgical Items,Retained Surgical Needle,Retained Surgical Sponge,Retained Surgical Tools,Textiloma,Bodies, Foreign,Body, Foreign,Foreign Body,Foreign Object,Gossypibomas,Object, Foreign,Objects, Foreign,Retained Surgical Instrument,Retained Surgical Item,Retained Surgical Needles,Retained Surgical Sponges,Retained Surgical Tool,Surgical Instrument, Retained,Surgical Instruments, Retained,Surgical Item, Retained,Surgical Items, Retained,Surgical Needle, Retained,Surgical Needles, Retained,Surgical Sponge, Retained,Surgical Sponges, Retained,Surgical Tool, Retained,Surgical Tools, Retained,Textilomas
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013270 Stomach An organ of digestion situated in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen between the termination of the ESOPHAGUS and the beginning of the DUODENUM. Stomachs
D054328 Proton Pump Inhibitors Compounds that inhibit H(+)-K(+)-EXCHANGING ATPASE. They are used as ANTI-ULCER AGENTS and sometimes in place of HISTAMINE H2 ANTAGONISTS for GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX. Proton Pump Inhibitor,Inhibitor, Proton Pump,Inhibitors, Proton Pump,Pump Inhibitor, Proton

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