A Curious Case of the Persistent Body Stuffer

Overview

Journal Case Rep Emerg Med

Specialty Emergency Medicine

Date 2019 Oct 23

PMID 31637063

Citations 1

Authors

Muhammad Durrani

Carla Dugas

Samaresh Dasgupta

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

A 29-year-old male presented to our emergency department with complaint of abdominal pain after allegedly ingesting a 4-gram packet of heroin in an attempt to evade detection. Initial evaluation including computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen/pelvis with intravenous and oral contrast, as well as laboratory workup was negative and the patient was discharged. The patient returned 3 days later with complaint of "I feel high" and severe constipation, and demonstrated an opiate toxidrome requiring naloxone with improvement of symptoms. A repeat CT of the abdomen/pelvis, this time without contrast revealed a 2.1 × 1.8 cm foreign body in the gastric antrum. The patient was promptly taken to endoscopy with surgical backup. Foreign body removal included multiple plastic bags encasing heroin, which had sustained a small leak causing a gastric outlet obstruction as well as a slow opiate toxidrome. The foreign body was removed and the patient was observed and discharged with a favorable outcome.

Citing Articles

Complications and hospital stay after endoscopic retrieval of drug baggies in body stuffers: an observational prospective study.

Shabani M, Kefayati M, Hassanian-Moghaddam H, Zamani N, McDonald R Sci Rep. 2021; 11(1):5359.

PMID: 33686170 PMC: 7940431. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84898-z.

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