Upper gastrointestinal foreign bodies in adults: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND

Foreign body(FB) ingestion in the upper digestive tract is a common emergency that lacks sufficient attention in adult population. Improper management may bring additional injuries and financial burdens to patients. This review was performed to determine the clinical characteristics of upper gastrointestinal FBs, including the demographic of adult patients, the type and location of FBs, underlying diseases of patients and other risk factors, and outcomes.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases with the terms "foreign body AND upper gastrointestinal NOT child". Finally, we got 7 articles between 2001 and 2020 and extracted the information.

RESULTS

A total of 1391 patients were included. 736 (52.9%) patients were males and 655 (47.1%) were females. Fish bone was the most common type of FBs. Esophagus accounts for the most location in the upper digestive tract. 18.2% (235/1291) patients had the underlying diseases, and 11.7% (58/494) had other risk factors. The overall complication rate was 4.5% (63/1391).