Single-Use Devices Retrieve Foreign Body from the GI Tract

A new line of foreign body retrieval devices offer physicians options for a variety of lodged objects, while meeting the demands of infection prevention initiatives.

The Olympus (Tokyo, Japan) foreign body retrieval devices include a full line of seven single-use products--six of which are brand new--that are designed to replace previous reusable devices. The portfolio includes:

• Grasping forceps with a rotatable design for easy positioning; the device's rat tooth jaws with a 7.2 mm opening width are designed for retrieving drainage tubes and foreign bodies.
• Grasping forceps that incorporate rubber tips for the removal of flat objects such as coins, sharp objects, soft objects, and stents.
• Shark Tooth grasping forceps that feature a larger jaw and rat tooth design that is ideal for retrieval of flat objects, such as coins and dentures.
• Rubber tip forceps, ideal for retrieval of sharp objects such as nails, needles, blades, and pins.
• The Polygrab Tripod grasping forceps, which feature an advanced three-prong configuration. The forceps’ wide opening maximizes grasping capability, while an innovative ringed tip design helps to minimize tissue damage.
• A V-Shape grasper that features two flat arms for capture and retrieval of flat objects.
• Multipurpose Alligator Jaw grasping forceps, ideal for retrieval of a variety of foreign objects, which are available in two working lengths and opening widths of 7.5 mm and 11.3 mm.

“Infection prevention is of the utmost importance to Olympus and our customers. In a variety of emergent cases or in situations involving very ill patients, physicians need to have all options for care available,” said Melinda Benedict, senior manager of infection prevention at Olympus Corporation of the Americas. “A comprehensive line of single-use grasping forceps provides physicians with the confidence that they will have quick and safe access to the tools they need, where and when they need them.”

Children aged less than one year old through four years old accounted for 106,729 emergency room visits for foreign body ingestion in 2019 in the United States, the fourth most common reason. A study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics estimated that more than 759,000 children under the age of six were evaluated for foreign-body ingestion in emergency rooms between 1995 and 2015. IN nearly 62% of the cases, coins were the most frequently ingested item, followed by toys (10.3%), jewelry (7%) and batteries (6.8%).

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