A stomach like a utility room: Case report

Foreign body (FB) ingestion is an emergency that is more common in children and adults with mental disorders. A wide array of FBs can be ingested, and most of them do not need to be treated. However, if the FB blocks the digestive tract or causes damage, it needs to be removed by endoscopy or even surgery. We describe here a stomach full of FBs, but these FBs did not cause serious damage. A 9-year-old male child with mental retardation suffered abdominal pain after swallowing FBs. X-ray and computed tomography (CT) found a large number of FBs of different shapes. We tried to remove them under endoscopy but failed; we then changed to laparotomy and removed a large number of FBs. The patient started normal feeding on the 4th day and was discharged home. FB ingestion is very common. Symptoms are used to determine whether further treatment, which is usually feasible, is required. However, for patients who cannot accurately describe the ingestion of FBs, such as children, patients with mental disorders, and patients who are inebriated, FBs should still be treated with caution, especially when the clinical symptoms and related examinations are not typical, and adequate plans should be made, as shown in this case. There may be unexpected discoveries. •We reported for the first time that a child swallowed such a large amount of foreign objects without obvious damage.•For patients who cannot accurately describe the foreign body, it cannot be judged by symptoms alone.•X-ray or CT is necessary for patients who cannot accurately describe swallowed foreign bodies.•Don't overestimate the ability to remove foreign bodies under gastroscopy. Sometimes you have to be prepared for surgery.•After surgical removal of the foreign body, gastroscopic exploration again can avoid missing foreign body.