CHALLENGING RARE FOREIGN BODY REMOVAL IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A CASE REPORT

Abstract

A 40-year-old male in delirium secondary to withdrawal presented with a history of having severe neck pain, choking, and vomiting after self-ingestion of a broken piece of dinner fork 2 days prior to presentation. He was referred to a local hospital where rigid oesophagoscopy was tried but the foreign body could not be retrieved and was referred. Rigid Oesophagoscopy was planned with the use of personal protective equipment for removal. The procedure was very challenging but was uneventful. The main challenges were broken sharp edges in the opposite direction, previously failed oesophagoscopy, slippery metallic edges, location in the distal oesophagal junction, and the use of modified personnel protective equipment (PPE) causing fogging. The patient was discharged after two days with no symptoms. It is a rare case report with challenging oesophagoscopy performed using personnel protective equipment in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Foreign body, Metallic, Oesophagoscopy