Calif. Teen Has 'Difficulty Swallowing'...

A California teen underwent an emergency procedure after he accidentally swallowed a quarter, which became lodged in his airway

Published Time: 10.04.2024 - 23:31:18 Modified Time: 10.04.2024 - 23:31:18

A California teen underwent an emergency procedure after he accidentally swallowed a quarter, which became lodged in his airway.

According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, the otherwise “healthy” 14-year-old boy went to the emergency room, complaining of “hoarseness and difficulty swallowing” six hours after accidentally ingesting the quarter.

“Accidentally ingested foreign bodies usually end up in the esophagus,” the report notes, adding that for older children, “foreign bodies typically lodge more distally than in this case (in the trachea or a mainstem bronchus), owing to gravity and the larger airway size.”

However, in this case, the quarter was “situated vertically within the subglottis (the region between the vocal cords and the trachea)” — like a coin deposited into a machine.

Coins are the most common object swallowed by children, with the small round metal circles accounting for more than 60% of children seeking medical care after swallowing an object, according to a report in Harvard Health. Quarters are the second most commonly swallowed coin, after pennies, the report says.

Accidental ingestions of foreign objects have doubled in recent years, a Pediatrics study says — although these instances usually occur in children under 6 years old.

Although the teen was “breathing comfortably witho -

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ut stridor” — which the National Institute of Health says is "an abnormal, high-pitched respiratory sound produced by irregular airflow " — or drooling, he needed to undergo an emergency procedure to remove the quarter.

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“Airway foreign bodies — especially those in the trachea and larynx — necessitate immediate removal to reduce the risk of respiratory compromise,” the National Institute of Health states.

The teen was put under general anesthesia, and using forceps, the quarter was removed, per the New England Journal of Medicine report. Although the teen had some “ulceration” where the quarter was, once it was removed, “the patient’s symptoms abated and he was discharged home.”

As Poison Control points out, “Coins that are removed from the esophagus within 24 hours of swallowing are not likely to cause permanent tissue damage, but serious internal injuries can occur if coins remain in the esophagus for longer periods of time.”

However, the agency says “Once a coin passes from the esophagus into the stomach, it normally will be excreted in the feces within a few weeks.”