Would You Like Fries or Razor Blades With That?

by greg1usa | November 1, 2010 at 04:58 pm

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According to an article in The Journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, there have been a reported 305 cases involving 33 different patients of deliberately ingesting foreign bodies including, pens, batteries, knives, and razor blades.

One Rhode Island hospital has spent more than $2 million in the past eight years removing foreign objects -- including knives, batteries and bedsprings -- from the bodies of patients who swallowed them on purpose.

79% of the patients were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. The total estimated costs for removing the ingested objects and treating the patients came to over $2 Million Dollars.

$1.5 Million of which was hospital costs, $240,000 for physician fees and $276,000 for security services. Medicare was charged for 48% of that total and Medicaid was charged 31%.

The report concluded Intentional ingestion of foreign bodies occurs among a relatively small number of patients with psychiatric disorders and is costly.

Endoscopic retrieval is relatively effective and safe, but often requires general anesthesia. These cases utilize significant hospital and fiscal resources. Attention should be focused on preventing these recurrent and costly episodes.