Publication:

Small bowel obstruction due to foreign body ingestion in jail inmates: a case series

Foreign body ingestion is a common clinical problem in children but is relatively uncommon in adults. Foreign body ingestion in jail inmates presents a challenge as a preoperative diagnosis is difficult to make. Drug trafficking is an important underlying cause. We report a case series of five cases - all jail inmates who presented with small bowel obstruction. All underwent exploratory laparotomy-3 for acute obstruction and 2 for failure of conservative treatment. Polythene wrapped drug pouches were retrieved from small bowel. Foreign body ingestion in the form of polythene packed drug pouches is an important cause of small bowel obstruction in jail inmates. Surgical intervention is invariably required.