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Medical Forum / General / General / December 2004Swallowed sponge capsule
Has anyone ever seen those pill size capsules that you put in warm water a a sponge animal comes out? What would happen to a kid or anyone if they swallowed it thinking it was a pill, it would expand in the stomach but would it dissolve or pass through or stay there forever? Anyone ever hear of this happening? >Has anyone ever seen those pill size capsules that you put in warm >water a a sponge animal comes out? What would happen to a kid or >anyone if they swallowed it thinking it was a pill, it would expand in >the stomach but would it dissolve or pass through or stay there >forever? Anyone ever hear of this happening? Never seen one. How big do they get when they expand? These links might help... Here are some variations of this toy: http://www.thespacestore.com/spfunca.html http://www.pufferbellytoys.com/pbt/Home/Page/Product_Detail/Item/2782 http://www.funforalltoys.com/products/just_for_fun_4/magic_capsules/magic_capsul es.html This last link states some specific details: http://www.farmgoodsforkids.com/it-10102.html ------ "Animal Friends Magic Capsules Bath Toys: Make a sponge! Each dissolving capsule reveals a colorful 3.5" x 2.5" sponge shape. Great value pack - there are 15 unique designs of animal friends in each package! These are excellent as party favrs or for your little one. They are perfect for some bath time fun. Dimensions: 3 ½" x 2 ½" (sponge) Weight: 0.25 lb Recommended Age: 3+ Years" >Dimensions: 3 ½" x 2 ½" (sponge) >Weight: 0.25 lb Didn't realize they were that big. I see your point. If a child swallowed a capsule that swelled to 3.5 inches (~9 cm) in his stomach, that would definitely be a problem. It would be too large to vomit and too large to pass into the duodenum, so there it would stay. I imagine it would have to be cut up and retrieved via endoscopy. Probably not life threatening, but definitely unpleasant and expensive. The worst case scenario would be if it passed into the intestines before expanding and created a blockage requiring surgery. But I think that would be unlikely since it would probably expand before entering the duodenum. >Recommended Age: 3+ Years" Would a 4 year old swallow a capsule? Of course he would. The toy sounds like a bad idea to me unless there are safeguards not apparent on those web sites. For example, one site says they expand in "warm water." Is it possible they only dissolve in water warmer than body temperature? Or maybe they break down and dissolve in stomach acid? >>Dimensions: 3 ?" x 2 ?" (sponge) >>Weight: 0.25 lb [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > maybe > they break down and dissolve in stomach acid? I'd call the manufacturer to be sure, but I suspect the sponge will break down in the stomach. HMc >I'd call the manufacturer to be sure, but I suspect the sponge will break >down in the stomach. Yeah, that only occurred to me about the time I finished writing the post. I suspect you're right. > >I'd call the manufacturer to be sure, but I suspect the sponge will break > >down in the stomach. I just saw these in Walmart and thats what prompted my question. I suppose it may eventually break down in the stomach but a sponge is made of rubber and would probably take a long time to break down. >> >I'd call the manufacturer to be sure, but I suspect the sponge will >break [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >suppose it may eventually break down in the stomach but a sponge is >made of rubber and would probably take a long time to break down. Sponges are made of all kinds of materials, including Phylum Porifera, the aquatic animals. IIRC, and I may not, these things are a polyamide or polyacrylamide gel, the stuff used for gel electrophoresis. It's pretty inert chemically, but I don't know if it can rot, be digested, or dissolve in stomach acid. I expanded one inside a small jar (pickled dinosaur), and it hasn't shown any visible change after several years in tap water. This material is also used in potting soils to hold moisture, and consumers are sometimes alarmed to see gelatinous blobs emerge from their hanging baskets. I wouldn't let a little kid get his hands on them until they are expanded. Before that, close adult supervision only. Of course, you should exercise close supervision of little kids in the bathtub anyway. > >I'd call the manufacturer to be sure, but I suspect the sponge will break > >down in the stomach. I just saw these in Walmart and thats what prompted my question. I suppose it may eventually break down in the stomach but a sponge is made of rubber and would probably take a long time to break down. Eating sausages with pig intestine is better than swallowing them plastic covered granules with a trademark to scare off the microbes in the body. |
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