An Unusual Case of Cecal Perforation: Accidental Ingestion of a Tooth in an Elderly Trauma Patient

Foreign body ingestion is a common occurrence in the United States, with the majority passing asymptomatically. In cases where complications occur, such as intestinal perforation, it may present as an acute abdomen with diagnostic challenges regarding the etiology. A 70-year-old male was brought to the emergency department (ED) after he jumped from the second floor of a burning building, sustaining 10% second-degree burns to his forearms. He was intubated for concerns of inhalational injury and resuscitated. His intensive care unit (ICU) course included the management of respiratory failure, sepsis, and acute kidney injury. On hospital day 28, imaging showed moderate pneumoperitoneum with ascites. He was taken for abdominal exploration, during which it was noted that there was gross fecal contamination and a 1 cm cecal perforation. After resection of the ileocecum, it was left in discontinuity due to hemodynamic instability and contamination. He was brought for a second-look laparotomy in 48 hours, and an incisor tooth was found in the right pelvis, and an ileocolic (ileum-ascending colon) anastomosis was performed. His post-operative course was complicated by an anastomotic leak and an intra-abdominal collection. Despite attempts at source control with percutaneous drainage, the patient remained septic with a poor prognosis. Goals of care were discussed, and the decision was made to de-escalate care. Although there is literature on foreign body ingestion resulting in intestinal perforation, there is a paucity of literature highlighting the importance of dental exams in elderly trauma patients, the incidence of perforation due to tooth ingestion, and maintaining a high index of suspicion for an acute abdomen in unusual presentations of sepsis.