Lethal Intestinal Perforation After Foreign Body Ingestion in a Superobese Patient

• DOI: 10.1007/s11695-008-9667-8
• Publication Date: 2008-08-21T13:25:14Z
• Authors: José Ignacio Rodr...; Bartomeu Ruiz-Feliú; Josep Roig-García; Maite Albiol-Quer; Pere Planellas-Giné; Antoni Codina-Caz...
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; Laparotomy; Multiple Organ Failure; Fishes; Middle Aged; Bone and Bones; Obesity, Morbid; 3. Good health; Eating; 03 medical and health sciences; Fatal Outcome; 0302 clinical medicine; Foreign-Body Migration; Intestinal Perforation; Intestine, Small; Animals; Humans; Surgical Wound Infection; Female

Accidental ingestion of foreign bodies is common in the general population. Most foreign bodies pass through the entire digestive tract without incidents. However, in some cases, the ingested foreign body can cause complications such as acute abdomen due to intestinal perforation and even death. Bowel perforation may not be more common in the massively obese than in the normal-weight population but may be more problematic. We describe a super-obese female (body mass index, 52.3 kg/m2) who underwent emergency surgery for small-bowel perforation caused by an ingested foreign body (fish bone); the patient died despite segmental intestinal resection and intensive care.