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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Child Accidentally Swallowed Beef Jerky Stick, Immediately Complained Of Chest Pain, Seems To Be Fine Now. Any Suggestions?

Hi, My 3 and half year old was keeping a portion of beef jerky stick in his mouth, started jumping and accidentally swallowed it before I could warn him. He started crying holding his chest saying it hurts there . He said he didnt chew the beef. Its been 24 hrs and he doesnt complain anymore. Should I be alert about this situation? My email is: YYYY@YYYY Thanks for yr advice! Nicole
Mon, 21 Jan 2013
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Pediatrician 's  Response
Hi,
Thank you for your query,
There are chances of impaction of the the beef in the esophagus causing obstruction causing chest pain.
Or some time it will slip into trachea by causing airway obstruction which is dangerous condition.
You consult immediately your Pediatrician or Emergency to rule out the impaction of the lump and to rule out any airway compression.
Hope i have answered your query.
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Pediatrician Dr. Diana Divakar's  Response
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for opting healthcaremagic.com to post your query and for giving us this opportunity to clarify your doubts.
Well, since its 24hrs now that your son doesnt have any complaints, he most probably just gulped it down. There is a possiblity that whenever children gulp down anything from their mouth so rapidly, it can enter into their air passage and cause breathing difficulty. That also depends on the size of the stick. Anyways, he should have had at least some symptoms of pain or breathlessness by now. Since he seems to be well, I dont think there is anything to worry. I would still advise you to keep a watch on him for any new signs of forceful vomiting, cough, breathing difficulty for at least a day. He should be absolutely well though.
I hope I have been successful in allaying all your anxieties and you have got the answer to your question. Take care and stay healthy.
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Pediatrician, Surgery Dr. Anand Sinha's  Response
Hi
Thank you for your query
If the child has no difficulty in swallowing, no excessive salivation or drooling, no more chest pain, no fever, then in all probability things should be alright. But a visit to a pediatric surgeon is recommended.
Usually once the food bolus has passed the esophagus / food pipe, it gets digested and does not cause much problem. But very rarely it may remain lodged in the esophagus and then cause problems at a later stage.
Hope that helps
God bless you
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Child Accidentally Swallowed Beef Jerky Stick, Immediately Complained Of Chest Pain, Seems To Be Fine Now. Any Suggestions?

Hi, Thank you for your query, There are chances of impaction of the the beef in the esophagus causing obstruction causing chest pain. Or some time it will slip into trachea by causing airway obstruction which is dangerous condition. You consult immediately your Pediatrician or Emergency to rule out the impaction of the lump and to rule out any airway compression. Hope i have answered your query.