RI Hospital study finds shocking trend

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A new study at Rhode Island Hospital has uncovered a disturbing and expensive trend.

Over an eight year period, 33 patients were responsible for 305 cases of medical intervention to remove foreign bodies that were intentionally swallowed, resulting in more than $2 million in estimated hospital costs.

The findings appear in the November issue of Clinical Gastroenterology & Hepatology .

The most common items are:

• Pens: 24%
• Batteries: 9%
• Knives: 7%
• Razor blades: 7%

For the most part, extraction of the foreign bodies was successful during the initial endoscopic extraction except for 20 cases, and only two cases eventually required a surgical extraction.

79 percent of the 33 patients were previously diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder.