Condoms used to assist difficult endoscopic removal of impacted upper esophageal foreign bodies

Abstract

The use of a homemade balloon dilator and protector hood composed of condoms for assisting the removal of sharp foreign bodies lodged in the upper esophagus in difficult cases is reported. A conventional endoscopic method failed to remove two sharp bones and two press-through packages became impacted in the upper esophagus. A condom was used to make a balloon dilator that was attached to a flexible endoscope in an attempt to dilate the upper esophageal sphincter to dislodge the impacted sharp bones. This handmade condom balloon dilator succeeded in dislodging the two tightly impacted sharp bones and assisted in removing the impacted objects in the upper esophagus. Additionally, a condom was tied to the distal end of the scope to act as a protector hood to protect the esophageal mucosa when removing the sharp packages. The two impacted press-through packages were pushed into the lower esophagus or stomach and removed uneventfully using the condom protector hood. Subsequent endoscopy disclosed no relevant mucosal damage after the successful removal and the patients did well after discharge from the emergency department. In conclusion, condombased endoscopic balloon dilatation is a simple and accessible method for assisting the endoscopic removal of tightly impacted, sharp foreign bodies in the upper esophagus. A condom can also be used as a protector hood to avoid mucosal injury when removing impacted, sharp pressthrough packages when a commercial protector hood is not available.

A Baby Feeding Nipple: Simple, Cost effective, and Safe Technique for Removal of Denture

“…There are various handmade and commercial devices available for removal of sharp foreign bodies such as overtube, a latex protector hood, latex glove, and condom. [9][10][11][12] To the best of our knowledge, these are the first reported cases of removal of the sharp foreign body using baby feeding nipple. The liquid silicon material makes it more transparent and has more tensile strength.…”