Weirdest/most difficult thing swallowed by a patient

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We're talking about pica in another thread and its left me wondering - what is the weirdest or most impossible thing swallowed by a patient that you have cared for?

(No urban legends, if you don't mind. Hoping for real stories.)

Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

A friend told me she had to send an inmate to the ED because he tried to eat his bed. There were pieces of metal on his xray that required an open laparotomy.

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A friend told me she had to send an inmate to the ED because he tried to eat his bed. There were pieces of metal on his xray that required an open laparotomy.

What? :confused: Did he bite off parts of his bed?

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Specializes in Addictions Nursing, LTC.

One of my friends worked in the pica/Prader-Willi house of an inpatient psych facility. Everything in their rooms was edible including their gowns and linens. Someone forgot to lock the freezer, and one of the patients ate 4 frozen turkeys. He perfed and died.

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.
What? :confused: Did he bite off parts of his bed?

He swallowed hooks and even a spring from a metal cot. He wanted to avoid court date and go to a psych facility but it didn't work.

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Specializes in critical care.
Razor blades ...on purpose. The patient came to us after leaving another hospital AMA because the staff were "rude".

There is an inmate who intentionally makes shivs to swallow. He repeatedly gets admitted to ensure the bleeding is controlled and to rule out verices (because he never admits to swallowing the shivs). Buys him a few days away from gen pop and seg. :\

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Specializes in critical care.
One of my friends worked in the pica/Prader-Willi house of an inpatient psych facility. Everything in their rooms was edible including their gowns and linens. Someone forgot to lock the freezer, and one of the patients ate 4 frozen turkeys. He perfed and died.

Prader Willi is an awful thing. :(

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Had a late stage dementia patient swallow a pair of used gloves.

I have never seen someone move so fast! He looked at me, eyes darted to gloves, before I could react he had grabbed them off the table and poof! Down they went!

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Specializes in Family Medicine.

Magnets, batteries, a tack, and a needle. Nothing TOO cray.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.

Curved metal hanger...I think it was fairly prevelent before the nineties. I wonder if that's why stores sell more plastic hangers these days. :***:

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Specializes in Cardiac and OR.

saline flushes and toothbrushes. That seems way tame in comparison!

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Confused patient chewed off and swallowed sponge from swab during mouth care. Couldn't get it back without being bit.

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What? :confused: Did he bite off parts of his bed?

some people will do anything for an "outing";)

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