Foreign Body Impaction in Esophagus

Overview

A practical and academic ENT on-call approach to esophageal foreign body extraction. This is not merely “a coin stuck in the throat”; it is a timing and risk decision. Is this a blunt object that can be managed within a safe window, or is it a button battery, sharp object, multiple magnets, denture fragment, or complete obstruction that may create necrosis, perforation, mediastinitis, or fatal hemorrhage within hours? The on-call rule is simple: do not let imaging logistics, handover delays, or false reassurance postpone an object that must come out now.