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Should A Child Who Has Swallowed Coin Be Rushed To Emergency?
Posted on
Fri, 7 Nov 2014
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Fri, 7 Nov 2014
Answered on
Mon, 1 Dec 2014
Last reviewed on
Question : Do i need to take my child to the doctor if she swallowed coin
Brief Answer:
No shortness of breath? Then you're Ok to wait
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX Thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic.
Sorry to hear about your child's gastronomic adventures.. Most of the time in these cases the coin ends up making it's way through the digestive system and getting passed out the other end, without incident. I wouldn't worry about it.
The place where the coin can be troublesome is in the throat and the vocal cords. if it were to get stuck there then it could cause some coughing, irritation and comiting, along with swelling of the cords.
The other possibility is that it would go down the airway and into the lung. In that case she would be choking.
It sounds like neither of those situations has come to pass. So the coin should just sail through. If she is still wearing diapers, you might recover that coin during a routine changing in a day or so. If not, then your may hear a mild "thunk" when she is on the potty.
If she experiences any difficulty breathing or severe abdominal pain, then you need to disregard what I have said and get her to an ER right away. But from the sound of things right now, your both will be just fine.
I hope this helps. Feel free to follow-up.
Vinay
No shortness of breath? Then you're Ok to wait
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX Thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic.
Sorry to hear about your child's gastronomic adventures.. Most of the time in these cases the coin ends up making it's way through the digestive system and getting passed out the other end, without incident. I wouldn't worry about it.
The place where the coin can be troublesome is in the throat and the vocal cords. if it were to get stuck there then it could cause some coughing, irritation and comiting, along with swelling of the cords.
The other possibility is that it would go down the airway and into the lung. In that case she would be choking.
It sounds like neither of those situations has come to pass. So the coin should just sail through. If she is still wearing diapers, you might recover that coin during a routine changing in a day or so. If not, then your may hear a mild "thunk" when she is on the potty.
If she experiences any difficulty breathing or severe abdominal pain, then you need to disregard what I have said and get her to an ER right away. But from the sound of things right now, your both will be just fine.
I hope this helps. Feel free to follow-up.
Vinay
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
Answered by
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