Clinical Characteristics and Interventions for Ingested Magnetic Foreign Bodies in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Ingested foreign materials are a common cause for hospital emergency department visit. Foreign objects such as magnets found in the gastrointestinal tract can cause serious problem because magnets attract to each other across the intestinal wall, often resulting in severe damage. We aimed to review the magnitude of the problem, the clinical characteristics and the interventions related to this problem.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the retrospective studies published in PUBMED, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane was conducted. The search was limited to studies published from Jan 1, 2000 to July 31, 2022, with the last search done on August 1, 2022. No publication restrictions or study design filters were applied.

Results: Data from 24 retrospective cohort studies with 2014 patients were included in the review. 63.6% (95% CI 59.9%-67.3%) of children who had swallowed foreign bodies were male, and 43% (95% CI 29.3%-57.3%) children presented with non-specific symptoms or had a complete absence of symptoms. Only 74.7% (95% CI 58.7%-88%) of the children has clear history of ingested foreign bodies. Abdominal surgery was the most prevalent interventions (43.3%, 95%CI 32.5%-54.1%) among the inpatients, while conservative treatments were the second common intervention (40.3%, 95%CI 27.8%-52.9%) among the inpatients and outpatients. Intestinal perforation or fistula occurred in 30.2% (95%CI 22.5%-37.8%) children.

Conclusion: Despite significant heterogeneity among primary studies, our results detail the morbidity, clinical characteristics and interventions associated with ingested magnetic foreign bodies in children.