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This 33-year-old female patient presented to urgent care after reporting an argument and appearing highly anxious. She reported no symptoms, but she revealed to physician that she had ingested something that she should not have in the heat of the moment during the argument she reported. A KUB (kidney, ureters, bladder) X-ray was, then, taken. An electronic cigarette (vaping unit) can be seen, overlying the gastric region on KUB consistent with ingested foreign body.

 Most swallowed foreign bodies usually pass through harmlessly through the small intestine and large intestine. Bowel obstruction and perforation are key complications to monitor with serial KUB imaging. In addition, the foreign body in this case may contain harmful substances, such as nicotine in high amounts. It also contains a battery which may have associated toxicity. Therefore, a foreign body with associated risk should be removed through endoscopy if it remains in esophagus, stomach, or proximal duodenum. In this case, the device was removed by the gastroenterologist.

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What foreign body did the patient ingest?

Image IQ Quiz: What Did This Patient Swallow?