Those who have little imagination just swallow coins (they are all accepted except for the two Euros). But there are also children who “taste” whistles or toy cars (in the list there is also a red Ferrari), tailor needles or watches and cutlery. This is done usually by people who are in prison or because they are desperate.

These are the some of the stories of endoscopic emergency of the Niguarda Hospital of Milan where a team of specialized doctors remove these types of objects. “In 30 years of endoscopic emergency I have seen everything” confessed to ADNKRONOS SALUTE Alfredo Rossi, director of the digestive department of the hospital, and who also published a paper concerning this topic on the Italian Journal of digestive endoscopy. “Here at the Niguarda Hospital we have at least 20-25 cases every year – he explained. 5-7 are children (with 2 episodes to be considered dangerous), while the rest are adults: in half the cases are just accidents and half happen on purpose (patients with psychiatric problems, prisoners or drug couriers)”, said the specialist. Amongst the swallowed objects there are also big pieces of food, so the “swallowing of objects is not rare – underlined Rossi – and in most cases they are expelled naturally”, but “in 10-20% of cases they remain trapped in the oesophagus or in the stomach and they must be removed through endoscopy. Only 1% of cases requires surgery”.

Translated by Chiara Nunnari from John Milton Institute