Keep this "textbook-style" first aid guide for esophageal foreign bodies, it can "save lives" at critical moments!

Recently, the Department of Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology and Otolaryngology of Changde Fourth People's Hospital has welcomed many patients with esophageal injuries caused by swallowing foreign objects.

The variety of foreign objects is staggering: bones of chicken, duck, and fish, hard nut shells, and even toothpicks and wires that are accidentally mixed into food. It is impossible to guard against them.

Because of these accidents, not only do you have to endure physical pain, but you also have to spend money to see a doctor, which is really terrible. Therefore, today Changde Fourth People's Hospital gives you a super practical first aid guide, hoping that everyone can stay away from risks and enjoy both delicious food and health!

1. When eating after the holidays, you still need to be wary of these "assassins"!

1. "The First Assassin": Sneak Attacks by Chickens, Ducks, and Fish

Chicken, duck, fish and meat are the indispensable protagonists on the dinner table. When the family is chatting and eating, it is easy to let down their guard.

Especially the elderly and children, the elderly are more likely to have esophageal foreign bodies, mainly because the elderly have missing teeth, loose teeth or poorly fitting dentures, which lead to insufficient chewing, large or incompletely crushed food pieces, and increase the risk of accidentally swallowing sharp foreign objects (such as fish bones and broken bones).

In addition, as people age, the strength of their throat muscles weakens, swallowing coordination decreases, and saliva secretion decreases, making it easy for food or foreign objects to remain in the esophagus.

The children's minds may have already wandered to playing outside, and they eat so voraciously that they may swallow the bones of chicken, duck, and fish if they are not careful.

These bones are very sharp. Once stuck in the esophagus, they will scratch the esophageal mucosa. In severe cases, they may even puncture the esophagus, causing heavy bleeding or infection. It’s scary to think about it.

2. The “Second Assassin”: The Trap of Nuts and Dates

After the festival, all kinds of nuts are not "consumed". It is so comfortable for the family to sit around and watch TV, eat melon seeds and peanuts, and drink white fungus and red dates soup. But if you are distracted when eating nuts and red dates, you may swallow the nut shells and red date pits.

Nut shells and date pits are hard in texture and have sharp edges, and can also easily get stuck in the esophagus, causing us big trouble.

3. "The Third Assassin": A "suspense film" with small objects such as coins and toy parts

If you have children at home, you should pay special attention to this. Children are very curious and interested in everything. They will want to put small objects in their mouths when they see them.

When there are many people at home, it is inevitable that adults will not take good care of children. Children may swallow coins, toy parts, small beads, etc. when adults are not paying attention. Once these small objects enter the esophagus, it is difficult to expel them by themselves, so they must be treated by a doctor in time.

4. The fourth assassin: culinary Easter eggs mixed into food

When cooking meals and delicacies, it is easy to make mistakes in a hurry and cook things into the pot that should not be mixed into the food.

For example, in a hurry, we may ignore foreign objects such as toothpicks and packaging fragments. If these foreign objects are accidentally ingested, they may get stuck in the esophagus and threaten our health.

2. How dangerous are foreign bodies in the esophagus?

1. Local damage

1. Mucosal injury and bleeding: Foreign objects that stay in the esophagus will directly contact the esophageal mucosa and easily scratch or abrade the esophageal mucosa. For example, sharp foreign objects such as fish bones and chicken bones may scratch the esophageal mucosa like a small blade, causing local bleeding.

If this bleeding is relatively minor, there may only be a small amount of blood, but if larger blood vessels are damaged, heavy bleeding may occur and the situation will be very critical.

2. Esophageal perforation

If the foreign object is sharp and stays in the esophagus for a long time, or if too much force is used when trying to swallow the foreign object, the foreign object may penetrate the esophageal wall and cause esophageal perforation.

This is like making a hole in an originally closed pipe. The food, saliva, etc. in the esophagus will enter the tissues around the esophagus through this hole, causing serious infection and inflammation.

3. Esophageal stenosis

If foreign matter exists in the esophagus for a long time or the damage caused by the foreign matter is severe, fibrous tissue will proliferate during the process of repairing the damage.

Just as a wound may leave scars when it heals, the proliferation of fibrous tissue in the esophagus will cause the esophageal lumen to narrow, affecting the normal passage of food. Patients will gradually find it more and more difficult to swallow, and even drinking water may become difficult.

2. Infection-related issues

1. Esophagitis: After the esophagus is perforated, external bacteria and other pathogens will enter the tissues around the esophagus through the perforation along with food, saliva, etc., causing esophagitis. At this time, the patient will feel increased chest or neck pain, and may also be accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever and fatigue.

2. Mediastinitis: Since the esophagus is located in the mediastinum, after esophageal perforation, the infection can easily spread to the mediastinum, causing mediastinitis. There are many important organs and blood vessels in the mediastinum. Mediastinitis is a very serious disease that may lead to serious consequences such as sepsis and septic shock, and even endanger life.

3. Lung infection: If foreign objects irritate the esophagus and cause an inflammatory response in the esophageal mucosa, the inflammation may spread to the trachea and lungs.

In addition, when patients have difficulty swallowing due to foreign objects in the esophagus, food or saliva may be accidentally inhaled into the lungs, causing lung infection and symptoms such as coughing, sputum, and fever, which seriously affect lung function.

(III) Other serious consequences

1. Suffocation: When a larger foreign object blocks the upper esophagus, especially near the throat, it may compress the trachea, causing airway narrowing or even complete blockage.

This situation is very dangerous. The patient will experience symptoms such as difficulty breathing and cyanosis in a short period of time. If not treated in time, his life will soon be in danger due to suffocation.

2. Vascular damage: There are many important blood vessels around the esophagus, such as the aorta, carotid artery, etc.

If a foreign body pierces the esophagus and further damages these large blood vessels, it will cause heavy bleeding. This bleeding is often very fierce, and the patient may suffer from hemorrhagic shock in a short period of time, with a very high mortality rate.

3. Fistula formation: Long-term presence of foreign matter in the esophagus may lead to the formation of abnormal channels, namely fistulas, between the esophagus and surrounding organs.

For example, if an esophageal-tracheal fistula forms between the esophagus and the trachea, food may enter the trachea through the fistula when the patient eats, causing severe coughing and lung infection. If a fistula forms between the esophagus and the chest cavity, it may lead to a series of problems such as chest cavity infection.

Therefore, the incidence of foreign bodies stuck in the esophagus is high during the Spring Festival, which can cause pain and discomfort at the mildest, or even lead to esophageal perforation, infection, and even life-threatening. How to deal with emergencies scientifically? Please keep this first aid guide!

3. This first aid guide can save lives at critical moments!

1. Determine the type and location of foreign matter

If you suspect that you or someone else has swallowed a foreign object, you should first try to recall the type, size, and time of swallowing. This is crucial for doctors to judge the condition and choose treatment methods. At the same time, you should closely observe the patient's symptoms, such as swallowing pain, breathing difficulties, vomiting, etc. Once the patient has difficulty breathing or suffocation, you should immediately call 120 emergency number and perform emergency rescue.

2. Heimlich maneuver

If the patient suffers airway obstruction and suffocation due to swallowing a foreign object, the Heimlich maneuver should be used immediately for rescue.

For adults and children over 1 year old: The rescuer stands behind the victim, with his feet apart, the front foot about one foot wide from the victim, and the back foot on tiptoe. Let the victim sit on his hunched thighs, keeping the victim leaning forward, head slightly lowered, mouth open.

Wrap your arms around the patient's abdomen, make a fist with one hand, and place your thumb against the patient's navel two fingers above and below the xiphoid process. Grab your fist with the other hand and push the patient's abdomen inward and upward, about once per second. Repeat until the foreign body is expelled or the patient resumes breathing.

For infants under 1 year old: Place the baby face down on your arms, support the baby's head and neck with your hands, keep the baby's body leaning forward and the head slightly lower. Use the heel of your other hand to pat the baby's back between the shoulder blades 5 times.

Then turn the baby over, face up, and place him on your arm. Use two fingers to quickly press 5 times below the midpoint of the line between the two nipples and the lower half of the sternum. Repeat alternating back pats and chest compressions until the foreign body is expelled or the baby resumes breathing.

4. Food safety tips to ensure you can eat safely and happily

1. Chew slowly

When eating, you must chew slowly and not eat too fast. Especially when eating food with bones, you must carefully pick out the bones to avoid swallowing them by mistake. At the same time, you must educate your children to develop good eating habits and not play or fight while eating.

2. Avoid talking while eating

Family members gather together and chat in a lively atmosphere. However, you should try to avoid talking while eating to prevent food from entering your trachea. If you want to talk, swallow the food in your mouth before speaking.

3. Pay attention to food processing

When preparing food, wash and handle the ingredients carefully to avoid foreign objects. When handling meat and vegetables, check carefully for bones, stones, etc. During cooking, be careful not to mix toothpicks, wire, etc. into the food.

4. Keep small items properly

If you have children at home, you should put coins, toy parts, beads and other small objects out of reach of children to prevent them from swallowing them by mistake. At the same time, you should teach your children not to put small objects in their mouths, and if they accidentally swallow them, they should tell adults in time.

5. Check your mouth and teeth regularly

The oral and dental functions of the elderly and children are relatively weak, and they are prone to loose teeth and falling dentures. Therefore, it is necessary to check the oral and dental functions regularly, repair or replace loose teeth and dentures in time, and avoid accidents during eating.

May this scientific guide help you stay away from accidents and enjoy your family reunion with peace of mind.

Do you find it useful? I suggest you set this article as "Must-read before meals" and forward it to your family group. After all, "you never know in which dish your second uncle's dentures will appear"...

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Long Xianqiong, Department of Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Changde Fourth People's Hospital

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(Edited by ZS)