Objective  To analyze the clinical characteristics of foreign bodies in digestive tract, and discuss the risk factors of complications.

  Methods  The clinical data of 200 children with foreign body in digestive tract were analyzed retrospectively. The clinical characteristics of foreign body in digestive tract were summarized. The risk factors of severity of complications of patients with foreign body in digestive tract were analyzed by single factor analysis.

  Results  Out of 200 children, the proportions of boys and those aged under 3 years were the most, and caregivers were their grand-patents. Foreign body with length and diameter of 1 to 2 cm accounted for the most, and coin ratio was the highest in foreign body types, most of the foreign body were single object, and located in digestive tract. They were usually hard, obtuse-shaped stuff, most of them retained less than 8 hours. Most of their removal time was 2 to 4 hours after admission to hospital, and most of them were removed by endoscopy. According to severity of complications, they were divided into general group (178 cases) and risk group (22 cases). Univariate analysis showed that the risk factors of complications of gastrointestinal foreign body included length, diameter of gastrointestinal foreign body, types of foreign body, the number of foreign body, location, texture of foreign body, retention time, and removal mode(P < 0.05).

  Conclusion  The clinical characteristics of children's digestive tract foreign body are various. In the process of treatment, doctors should not only actively carry out diagnosis and program designation, but also operate cautiously to avoid secondary injury. At the same time, clinicians should carefully evaluate the risk degree and occurrence of complications, and perform health education to avoid the recurrence of foreign body.