What to do if a child swallows a foreign body - the actions of parents

What to do if a child has swallowed a foreign body - pre-medical actions of parents

Babies are very inquisitive, and when they begin to move independently, the risk of swallowing a foreign body increases many times. Doctors note that most often various foreign bodies are removed from the digestive tract of children between the ages of 1 and 5-6 years of life - this period is characterized as cognitive. Some pediatricians and surgeons even have a "museum" of foreign bodies extracted from the children's gastrointestinal tract. The most common are balls, chewing gum and pills. If the first two varieties, in principle, are not dangerous, then when swallowing a pill, it will be necessary to wash the stomach and carry out detoxification therapy - this is already the parish of doctors. What to do if a child has swallowed a foreign body?

What you absolutely cannot do

First, parents should not shake their baby, turn him upside down and actively tap his back. Such actions can lead to the deployment of a foreign body in the esophagus and its entry into the respiratory tract - this condition is potentially dangerous for the child's life. If the child swallowed a piece of the object, and it turned out to have sharp edges, then in this case, any shaking can lead to injury to the esophagus, stomach or respiratory tract (if the body has moved into them).

Secondly, one should not try to push the foreign body further into the gastrointestinal tract. For this, parents often give the child a crust of bread in the hope that after swallowing it, the child will move the object further to the stomach, and it will later come out naturally. But if a child has swallowed a glass with sharp edges, pushing it violently through the digestive system, it is possible to injure not only the esophagus, but also the stomach and even the intestines.

Thirdly, you cannot feed or feed the child, including breast milk. Food or liquid, having entered the gastrointestinal tract, will "pull" a foreign body with it, the result of which can be deplorable, up to the perforation of the walls of the gastrointestinal tract.

One more nuance - you can't experiment and try to pull out a foreign body with a magnet, a vein or a thin, long object. For example, a child has swallowed a coin, and it is in the esophagus - at the same time, the child complains of pain in the chest, the inability to take a deep breath. In such a case, it is strictly forbidden to try to "pull out" a coin with a magnet, and you can't knock on the child's chest - there is a small chance that the foreign body will come out, but it is quite possible to make the situation worse.

What to do if a child has swallowed a foreign body - correct actions

As soon as the parents notice that the baby has swallowed some object, they need to call a doctor and wait for qualified help. You can take the following measures:

• if the baby coughs, chokes or slightly suffocates, then you need to put him on your knee so that the upper part of the body is lowered, and tap the edge of the palm or fingers on his back between the shoulder blades (blows are directed from the bottom up);
• if a child under the age of 1 year is breathing evenly, but coughs strongly, it should be placed on the hand of one of the parents face down, the head should be slightly lowered, and the index and middle finger of the (supporting) hand should be placed in the child's mouth. Opening the child's mouth, the baby is simultaneously lightly tapped on the back;
Please note: the described measures can only be performed if breathing is impaired, as sharp tapping can dislodge the foreign body so that it blocks the airway or causes severe swelling. If there are suspicions that the child has swallowed a bone, then such actions are also prohibited.
• the baby must be calmed down and everything necessary for the trip to the medical facility must be prepared.

If a small child has swallowed a battery, it is necessary to immediately seek qualified medical help, you cannot take any action on your own. The danger of swallowing a battery is as follows:

1. When the nutrient enters the stomach, it oxidizes and emits aggressive substances, which leads to chemical burns of the mucous membrane of the stomach.
2. When the battery oxidizes, ulcers can form on the walls of the stomach and the walls of the intestines - this is a condition that threatens the life of the child.
3. If a child has swallowed a disc battery, it poses a particular danger in the esophagus, as necrosis and rupture of the esophagus wall can rapidly develop.

You can learn more about what to do if a child has swallowed a foreign body on our website https://dobrobut.com/. But in any case, only qualified medical assistance will help to avoid unpleasant consequences.

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