Swallowed a Foreign Body
Free Symptom Checker
with Physician-supervised AI
Reviewed By:
Eric A. Gantwerker, MD, MMSC (Otolaryngology (ENT))
Pediatric Otolaryngologist at Northwell Health and Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He holds a Master of Medical Science (MMSc) in Medical Education with a special focus on educational technology, educational research, and game-based learning from Harvard Medical School and a Master of Science in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University. He has a special interest in faculty development and has been a speaker or faculty at hundreds of local, national, and international courses and conferences. He is also an active blogger and podcaster for several organizations, including the Harvard Macy Institute (HMI), Harvard Medical School CME Online, and BackTable Innovations. He has been featured in the news and print for media outlets such as USA Today, Businesswire, The Washington Post, Nature Medicine, Fox News, and KevinMD. He was also the Vice President, Medical Director of a medical video game company, Level Ex from 2018 to 2023 that utilized game technology and psychology to create interactive experiences for healthcare professionals. | He is recognized as an expert on the implementation of educational technologies and gaming with a foundation in educational theory for health professions education. He was honored to be inducted as an Associate Member of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators and as an Associate Fellow of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE).
Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)
Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.
Content updated on Apr 4, 2024
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Try one of these related symptoms.
Accidentally swallowed a foreign object
Foreign object stuck in the throat
A bone stuck in the throat
Swallowed my false teeth
Swallowed a small thing
Swallowed a battery
Swallowed a toy
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People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- Swallowed a foreign object
- Swallowed a foreign body
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Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizAbout the Symptom
Accidentally swallowed something refers to swallowing non-food items, often referred to as foreign bodies. Examples include toys, batteries or even dentures. These may get stuck in the food tube (esophagus) or can be aspirated into the airway (trachea).
When to See a Doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
- Accidentally swallowed something
Related Serious Diseases
Sometimes, Swallowed a foreign body may be related to these serious diseases:
- Pharyngeal Foreign Body
The pharynx, also known as the throat, is a passageway that serves as part of both the respiratory and digestive systems. A pharyngeal foreign body occurs when an external object, often accidentally ingested, becomes stuck or lodged in the pharynx.
- Asphyxiation
- Foreign Body in Bronchus
Doctor's Diagnostic Questions
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:
- Did you swallow any small objects?
- When did you first notice accidentally swallowing something?
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizFind Similar Symptoms
Similar symptoms or complaints
Symptoms from similar body parts
Symptoms treated by the same specialty
References
Sahn B, Mamula P, Ford CA. Review of foreign body ingestion and esophageal food impaction management in adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 2014 Aug;55(2):260-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.01.022. Epub 2014 Mar 28. PMID: 24686070.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24686070/Esophageal Foreign Bodies - Stat Pearls
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482131/Safdar SA, Shaaban H, Miller RA. Foreign body aspiration. Heart Lung Circ. 2015 Oct;24(10):1033-4. doi: 10.1016/j.hlc.2015.03.010. Epub 2015 Apr 15. PMID: 26021970.
https://www.heartlungcirc.org/article/S1443-9506(15)00140-7/fulltextLima JA, Fischer GB. Foreign body aspiration in children. Paediatr Respir Rev. 2002 Dec;3(4):303-7. doi: 10.1016/s1526-0542(02)00265-8. PMID: 12457600.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1526054202002658?via%3Dihub
Reviewed By:
Eric A. Gantwerker, MD, MMSC (Otolaryngology (ENT))
Pediatric Otolaryngologist at Northwell Health and Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He holds a Master of Medical Science (MMSc) in Medical Education with a special focus on educational technology, educational research, and game-based learning from Harvard Medical School and a Master of Science in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University. He has a special interest in faculty development and has been a speaker or faculty at hundreds of local, national, and international courses and conferences. He is also an active blogger and podcaster for several organizations, including the Harvard Macy Institute (HMI), Harvard Medical School CME Online, and BackTable Innovations. He has been featured in the news and print for media outlets such as USA Today, Businesswire, The Washington Post, Nature Medicine, Fox News, and KevinMD. He was also the Vice President, Medical Director of a medical video game company, Level Ex from 2018 to 2023 that utilized game technology and psychology to create interactive experiences for healthcare professionals. | He is recognized as an expert on the implementation of educational technologies and gaming with a foundation in educational theory for health professions education. He was honored to be inducted as an Associate Member of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators and as an Associate Fellow of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE).
Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)
Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.
What People Say about Ubie?
Male, 30s
I got more answers in one minute through your site than I did in three hours with Google.
(Sep 29, 2024)
Male, 20s
My experience was great. I was worried, but the symptom checker helped me narrow down what it might be. I feel a little relieved compared to when I first started, and it gives me a starting point for what my symptoms could mean.
(Sep 27, 2024)
Male, 50s
The questions asked and possible causes seemed spot on, putting me at ease for a next-step solution.
(Sep 26, 2024)
Female, 40s
I was actually very impressed with the results it provided because, although I didn’t mention it during the questionnaire because I thought it was unrelated, it suggested I may have something I’ve actually been diagnosed with in the past.
(Sep 25, 2024)
Just 3 minutes.
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