Outdoor grilling hazard: wire bristle esophageal foreign body--a report of six cases

Abstract

Esophageal foreign bodies are frequently encountered, with coin ingestion the most common in the pediatric population and fish bone ingestion the most common in the adult population worldwide. Many people cook with outdoor grills and use wire brushes to clean them. We present the largest case series with six adult cases involving ingestion of wire brush bristles from food prepared on outdoor grilling surfaces. The occurrence of six cases within a small geographic area over a relatively brief time span raises important safety concerns and warrants attention to prevent serious complications.