A 3-year-old girl ingests a metal pendant. Explore the clinical decision-making for managing esophageal foreign bodies in children. When is observation safe?
A 3-year-old girl presented to the emergency department after she had ingested a metal pendant. She had not vomited and had no pain in her chest. A physical examination was unremarkable. A radiograph of the chest confirmed a heart-shaped foreign body in the proximal thoracic esophagus. Ingestions of foreign bodies are most commonly reported in children 1 to 3 years of age. Which of the following ingested objects warrants immediate endoscopic removal?
What is the most likely diagnosis?
Endoscopy, Esophagus, Foreign bodies that have been present for longer than 24 hours, Foreign body ingestion, Pediatrics
