Foreign Body: When Something Gets Stuck in the Body

First aid for choking

If an adult or child over 1 year cannot speak, cough or breathe:

1. Ask someone to call 911.
2. Give 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
3. Give 5 abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver): stand behind, fist just above the belly button, pull sharply in and up.
4. Repeat until the object comes out or the person becomes unresponsive, then start CPR.

For a baby under 1 year, use 5 back blows with the baby face-down along your forearm, then 5 chest thrusts with two fingers on the breastbone. Never do abdominal thrusts on an infant. Never sweep a finger blindly in a child's mouth, because it can push the object deeper. Remove it only if you can clearly see it.

If the person can cough forcefully, encourage coughing and do not hit their back.

Foreign body in the throat

Fish bones, chicken bones and pieces of meat are the usual culprits in adults. Small bones often lodge in the tonsils or the base of the tongue, in the area called the pharynx. Food that sticks lower down in the esophagus (food pipe) is called a food bolus impaction and is often linked to a narrowing or eosinophilic esophagitis.

Clues that something is really stuck: pain at one spot, pain on swallowing, drooling, and being unable to swallow saliva. A doctor will look with a light and mirror or a thin camera through the nose (nasendoscopy) and remove a bone with forceps. Food stuck in the esophagus is removed by endoscopy, ideally within 24 hours, or sooner if you cannot swallow saliva.

Do not try to force food down with bread, and do not take fizzy drinks, meat tenderizer or medicines to dissolve it without medical advice. The foreign body in the throat page covers removal in detail.

When it feels like something is stuck but nothing is there

Scratches from a bone that has already passed can feel like a retained bone for 24 to 48 hours. A persistent lump-in-the-throat feeling that does not interfere with swallowing food is often globus sensation, linked to reflux, muscle tension or anxiety. Difficulty swallowing solids, weight loss or pain needs investigation.

Inhaled foreign body (aspiration)

Children under 3 often inhale peanuts, seeds, grapes, popcorn and small toy parts. After the first choking fit, symptoms can settle for hours or days before a cough, wheeze or pneumonia appears on one side. Any child with a witnessed choking episode and ongoing symptoms needs assessment and often a bronchoscopy. See foreign body aspiration.

Swallowed objects

Most smooth objects such as coins pass within a week. Watch the stool and return if there is vomiting, belly pain or blood. Exceptions that need emergency care:

• Button batteries: they can burn through the esophagus within 2 hours. Removal is urgent. On the way to the ER, children over 1 year may be given 10 ml (2 teaspoons) of honey every 10 minutes, up to 6 doses, if swallowed within the last 12 hours, as advised by Poison Control.
• Two or more magnets (or a magnet plus metal): they attract through bowel walls and cause holes.
• Sharp or long objects: pins, blades, toothpicks.

More on this in swallowed foreign bodies.

Foreign body in the eye

Dust, eyelashes and grit cause scratching, tearing and redness. Rinse with clean water or saline. See a doctor if the feeling persists after rinsing, vision is blurred, or the injury involved high-speed metal. A rust ring can form within hours around metal specks.

A gritty feeling in the eye when nothing is there is usually due to dry eye, a scratch on the cornea that has healed incompletely, an inturned eyelash or inflamed eyelids. The foreign body in the eye page covers removal.

Ear and nose

Children push beads, food, paper and batteries into ears and noses. A one-sided, foul-smelling discharge from the nose in a young child is a classic sign of a hidden object. Do not probe with cotton swabs. Try the "parent's kiss" for the nose: block the clear nostril and blow a short puff into the child's mouth. Otherwise, a doctor removes it with suction or small instruments. Insects in the ear can be killed with a few drops of mineral oil before removal. See foreign body in the ear.

Vaginal and rectal foreign bodies

A forgotten tampon, condom fragment or object causes a strongly smelling discharge and spotting. Remove it gently with clean fingers if you can, or see a doctor. Retained tampons carry a small risk of toxic shock syndrome: sudden fever, a sunburn-like rash, vomiting, diarrhea and dizziness need emergency care. Rectal objects should be removed in hospital and never pulled forcefully at home.

Prevention

• Keep coins, button batteries, magnets and small parts away from children under 3. Check that battery compartments are taped or screwed shut.
• Cut grapes, cherry tomatoes and hot dogs lengthwise into quarters for young children, and avoid whole nuts and popcorn under age 4.
• Wear safety glasses when hammering, grinding or using power tools.
• Chew carefully and eat slowly, especially with dentures, and avoid talking with food in your mouth.

Frequently asked questions

How do I remove a foreign object from my child's throat?

If the child cannot breathe, cough or cry, call 911 and give 5 back blows then 5 abdominal thrusts (chest thrusts under age 1). If the child is coughing and breathing, let them cough. Do not sweep blindly with your finger. If something seems stuck but breathing is fine, see a doctor promptly.

Why do I feel like something is stuck in my throat?

Most often a bone or food has scratched the throat and passed, leaving soreness for a day or two. A lasting lump feeling without trouble swallowing food is usually globus, linked to reflux or tension. Pain on swallowing, drooling or inability to swallow suggests a real foreign body and needs care.

Why does my eye feel like something is in it when nothing is there?

Dry eye, a small scratch on the cornea, inflamed eyelids (blepharitis), an inturned eyelash or a contact lens problem can all mimic a foreign body. If rinsing does not help within a day, or vision or pain worsens, see an eye doctor.

Can a foreign object in the vagina cause infection?

Yes. A retained tampon or object causes bacterial overgrowth with a foul discharge, and rarely toxic shock syndrome, a life-threatening reaction to bacterial toxins. Removing the object usually clears the discharge. Fever, rash or dizziness need emergency care.

What medicine helps a food bone stuck in the throat?

No medicine reliably dissolves a bone. Glucagon and other relaxants have been used for food stuck in the esophagus, but evidence is weak and they are given only by a doctor. A bone that remains stuck needs removal with forceps or an endoscope.