An 84-year-old woman, surnamed Tsai, was taken to the Ministry of Health and Welfare Nantou Hospital by her family after experiencing a sore throat and a foreign body sensation for a week. It was diagnosed that she had swallowed a piece of aluminum foil from the medication packaging, which became lodged in her esophagus, causing an ulcer. The doctor successfully removed the foreign object and provided treatment. The doctor warned that extra caution is needed when cutting and repackaging medication to avoid accidentally ingesting packaging materials. In cases where perforation occurs due to accidental ingestion, serious complications can be fatal.
Dr. Hung Hung-Chang, director of Gastroenterology at Nantou Hospital, noted that Ms. Tsai reported a sore throat and difficulty swallowing during her visit. Upon questioning, it was discovered that she had a habit of cutting her medication packaging with scissors, and it was suspected that she had accidentally ingested the packaging. An endoscopy confirmed that the sharp edges of the aluminum foil from the medication packaging had lodged in her esophagus, causing an ulcer, though no perforation was found. After hospitalization, the foreign object was removed via gastroscopy, and she received medication to treat the ulcer and prevent infection.
Dr. Huang Yao-Kuang of Nantou Hospital added that common foreign objects ingested include fish bones, chicken bones, or dentures, most of which pass naturally. However, large or sharp objects can cause damage to the esophageal lining and lead to severe complications such as mediastinitis, tracheoesophageal fistula, or aortic-esophageal fistula.
The hospital recommends that to prevent the accidental ingestion of medication packaging, elderly individuals and children should have assistance from family members when taking medication. Care must be taken to ensure the packaging is completely removed to ensure medication safety.
