Should I Be Concerned About Swallowing A Small Screw Inspite Of Having No Pain Or Discomfort?

Posted on Tue, 1 Apr 2014

Question: I think I swallowed a small screw, it is missing from a lid of the container and not in the remaining food. This would be about 24 hrs ago. What should I do? No pain or discomfort.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Prasad J (24 minutes later)

Brief Answer: X-ray abdomen.... Detailed Answer: Hi, It is difficult to predict if you had indeed swallowed the screw or if the screw fell off somewhere else. The fact that you have no breathing issues, no pain or discomfort are positive signs that nothing is amiss here. In this circumstance I would order for abdominal X-ray (erect posture). This screw will be revealed on X-ray films if you had in fact swallowed it. A normal abdominal X-ray rules out ingested foreign body. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need clarifications. Regards

Note: For further follow-up it is advisable to consult an emergency medicine specialist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar