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Summary
If you've ever gotten a splinter or had sand in your eye, you've had experience with a foreign body. A foreign body is something that is stuck inside you but isn't supposed to be there. You may inhale or swallow a foreign body, or you may get one from an injury to almost any part of your body. Foreign bodies are more common in small children, who sometimes stick things in their mouths, ears, and noses.
Some foreign bodies, like a small splinter, do not cause serious harm. Inhaled or swallowed foreign bodies may cause choking or bowel obstruction and may require medical care.
Treatments and Therapies
- Endoscopic Foreign Body Removal (American College of Gastroenterology)
Related Issues
- Puncture Wounds (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- Foreign Object in the Ear: First Aid (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Foreign Object in the Eye: First Aid (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Foreign Objects in the Rectum (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
Images
- Corneal Foreign Body (VisualDX)
- Foreign Object in Eye or Skin, First Aid (VisualDX)
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Foreign Bodies
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Clinical efficacy of magnet-assisted removal for dental high-speed dental handpiece broken...
- Article: Foreign Body Ingestion: Radiologic Evaluation, Findings, and Management.
- Article: Surgical removal of ingested magnets in children: A retrospective clinical analysis...
- Foreign Bodies -- see more articles
Find an Expert
Children
- Splinters and Other Foreign Bodies in the Skin (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Bezoar (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Eye - foreign object in (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Foreign body in the nose (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Foreign object - inhaled or swallowed (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Splinter removal (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.