Retrospective Analysis of Esophageal Foreign Body Ingestion: Differences Among Weekday, Weekends, and Holidays

PURPOSE: Current data on the occurrence of EFBs in relation to different time periods are scant. The purpose of this study was to compare the occurrence, type and location of EFBs in people who presented at our center on weekdays, weekends and holidays. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients (n=1353) received rigid esophagoscopy for foreign body extraction under general anesthesia from January 2018 to 2020 December. RESULTS: The occurrence of EFB ingestion was significantly higher (p<0.05) on holidays (2.75/day) than on weekdays (0.91/day) and weekends (1.46/day). Patients were much older on holidays, with a mean age of 58.18 ± 17.34 years, than patients on weekdays (54.71 ± 16.71 years) and weekends (55.05 ± 17.36 years). CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that EFB ingestion is most likely to occur on weekends and holidays, and elderly patients should be advised to chewing slowly and eating non-nuclear jujube, especially during holidays, to minimize their risk.