Ingestion of heated tobacco sticks containing a micro-blade by children: the importance of performing a radiograph

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.

Keywords:

• Heated-tobacco ingestion
• pediatric toxicology
• foreign body ingestion

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.