Foreign Object Removal

What is foreign object removal?

Any particle or item that is lodged somewhere in the body and is not easy to remove is known as a foreign object. Foreign object removal is the medical procedure used to actually remove them. These can be done in the ear, nose, eye, throat, esophagus, stomach, intestines and other parts of the body.

What happens during the procedure?

The actual procedure will vary based on the area affected, the size of the object and the nature of its position in the body.

Patients are usually given medications to make them relax and sleep in order for the procedure to be completed. The procedure can range from using special instrument like an endoscope, which is a thin flexible tube with a light and camera at the end of it that equipment can be attached to in order to remove the foreign object, to a full-fledged surgery in order to open up the body to retrieve the object.

Is any special preparation needed?

In most cases, no special preparation is needed. At times patients will need to fast prior to the procedure.

What are the risk factors?

Bleeding, infection, pain or damage to the surrounding tissues are all potential complications of foreign object removal.


Reviewed by: Carrie Firestone Baum, MD

This page was last updated on: April 22, 2021 02:03 PM

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