Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Foreign Bodies
If you've ever gotten a splinter or had sand in your eye, you've had experience with a foreign body. A foreign body is something that is stuck inside you but isn't supposed to be there. You may inhale or swallow a foreign body, or you may get one from an injury to almost any part of your body. Foreign bodies are more common in small children, who sometimes stick things in their mouths, ears, and noses.
Some foreign bodies, like a small splinter, do not cause serious harm. Inhaled or swallowed foreign bodies may cause choking or bowel obstruction and may require medical care.
It sits within Injuries and Wounds.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Foreign Bodies
71 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Training on the Heimlich Maneuver for Mothers of Children With DisabilitiesUniversity of Yalova
- Foreign-National Burn Patients in a Border-Region Burn CenterGaziantep City Hospital
- Point of Care Ultrasound for the Detection of Esophageal Food BolusWellSpan Health
- Prospective Study of High-penetration Super-resolution Transcranial Ultrasound for Early Identification of Postoperative Intracranial Metallic Targets After Aneurysm ClippingChinese PLA General Hospital
- Feasibility Study to Evaluate the Role of a Novel Device in ChildbirthThe Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust
- Local Antibiotics for Breast ImplantsMikkel Herly
Research already completed
- A Novel Strategy for Endoscopic Dual-instrument Retrieval of Upper GI Foreign BodyShanghai Zhongshan Hospital
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Choking Management Education for Caregivers of Infants Under 1 Year: Comparison Between Practical Workshop and Informational LeafletHospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla
- Evaluation of Foreign Body Airway Obstruction Interventions Through SimulationUniversity of Calgary
- Thoracic Computed Tomography Scan for Diagnosis of Aspirated Foreign Bodies.Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
- The Role of Lidocaine Spray in Reducing Pain During Intrauterine Device ApplicationKanuni Sultan Suleyman Training and Research Hospital
- Intraoperative Radiographic Detection of Retained Surgical SpongesTwin Cities Spine Center
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Foreign BodyVirtual Pediatric Hospital
Treatments and Therapies
- Endoscopic Foreign Body RemovalAmerican College of Gastroenterology
Related Issues
- Puncture WoundsAmerican College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Foreign BodiesNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Foreign Bodies. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Foreign Bodies, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.