Abstract
Introduction
Some tobacco sticks, such as TEREA™ heat sticks for IQOS ILUMA™, contain a blade. Both the nicotine part of the device and the micro-blade can be ingested by children.
Case summaries
We report two children, an 18-month-old boy and a 10-month-old girl, who ingested a heat stick containing a micro-blade.
Images
Radiography revealed the micro-blade to be in the child’s mouth in the first case and the stomach in the second. Endoscopy was performed on the second child, confirming the presence of the blade in the stomach.
Conclusion
We recommend performing a radiograph on all children who ingest tobacco sticks containing a micro-blade. If a metallic object is present, we recommend endoscopic removal to avoid traumatic lesions from the sharp edges.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.