Small Bowel Perforation Secondary to Blister Pill Pack Ingestion: A Case Report.
- Resource Type
- Report
- Authors
- Rico F; Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Acute Care Surgery, Surgical Critical Care and General Surgery, Mohawk Valley Health System - St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Utica, USA.; Department of Specialty Medicine, University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford, USA.; Sbar A; Department of Surgery, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, USA.; Lung J; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, USA.
- Source
- Publisher: Cureus, Inc Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101596737 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 2168-8184 (Print) Linking ISSN: 21688184 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Cureus Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE
- Subject
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2168-8184
We present a case of accidental ingestion of a foreign body-blister pill pack (FB-BPP) causing small bowel perforation in a patient taking aspirin and clopidogrel due to past history of coronary artery disease. A 71-year-old male presented in the emergency department (ED) with a two-day history of abdominal discomfort and loss of consciousness. His relevant home medication included aspirin and clopidogrel secondary to a history of coronary artery stents. Initial workup with emergent CT scan of abdomen/pelvis with intravenous contrast showed a loop of the terminal ileum with thickened wall and perforation. Incidentally, he was also found to have type II myocardial infarction. Emergent laparoscopic ileocecectomy with primary anastomosis was done. The postoperative course was unremarkable. The pathology report of the small bowel was consistent with a FB-BPP associated perforation. FB-BPP ingestion with perforation is a rare occurrence. It occurs more often in the elderly with significant mortality. Our case of accidental ingestion of FB-BPP was confirmed retrospectively after histopathological evaluation, and complicated by type II myocardial infarction. Emergent laparoscopic bowel resection was done despite significant preoperative risks.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
(Copyright © 2022, Rico et al.)