A Case of Removing an Esophageal Sharp Foreign Body Using a Surgical Glove

Foreign bodies with a sharp margin in the esophagus are often associated with serious complications, such as bleeding, perforation and mediastinitis in the middle of endoscopic removal, as well as impaction in the esophagus wall. Therefore, safe extraction for such patients is essential. The techniques that are performed with an endoscope have been designed with using a protector hood and overtube. Yet the former is not available in Korea, and the later is uncomfortable and limited in diameter. Press-through-packs (PTPs) are commonly used as a package for drugs and they also usually cause esophageal impaction because they have sharp edges. We report here on a case of an impacted PTP in the upper esophagus, and this was successfully extracted endoscopically with using a surgical glove, which is a better safe alternative to above mentioned removal items.