Hazardous Grilling Due to Wire Brushes
An 11-year-old male was transferred to our tertiary pediatric hospital with acute onset of odynophagia after consumption of a hamburger at his grandparents’ home. He reported feeling a sharp pain on the right side of his throat and having intense discomfort with swallowing. He had initially tried to continue eating to see if he could get the sensation to pass but was unsuccessful. On physical examination, he was well-appearing, in no acute distress, vocalizing normally, and had no crepitus in his neck. However, he was unable to tolerate a bedside oral examination secondary to discomfort. A plain film was done (Figure 1), which showed a radio-opaque foreign body in the oropharynx.
Figure 1. Radio-opaque foreign body noted on plain film.
The patient was subsequently taken to the operating room for an exploration of his oropharynx. While he was sedated, a shiny sliver was noted in the right tonsil (Figure 2). The foreign body was removed without any difficulty and measured about 2 inches (Figure 3). The patient experienced no postoperative complications, tolerated a regular diet, and was able to be discharged home that same day.
Figure 2. Foreign body noted in the right tonsil.
Figure 3. Extracted foreign body.
A literature review via PubMed revealed 14 articles about the hazards of metal bristle brushes.1-3 Sordo et al described 6 patients who had accidental ingestions of metallic bristles from the barbeque grill. Three of their patients underwent laparoscopic enterorrhaphy, 2 underwent laparotomy, and 1 passed the bristle without surgical intervention.1 The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) described 6 adult patients (5 males and 1 female) who experienced ingestion of wire brush bristles causing injuries that ranged from puncture of the soft tissues of the neck, resulting in severe odynophagia, to perforation of the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in emergent surgery. The CDC recommended carefully examining the surface of the grill before cooking on it, as well as considering alternative grill-cleaning methods.2 Grand et al published the radiologic findings in the 6 patients from Rhode Island who had ingested the wire brush bristles.3 Di Guglielmo et al described an adolescent patient who accidentally ingested a wire brush bristle that resulted in a colonic perforation and required a laparoscopic intervention.4 Baugh et al performed a cross-sectional analysis of national databases and projected about 1698 cases of these injuries have occurred between 2002 and 2014, with the most common location of injury being the oropharynx.5
An online search by Google using the term “metal grill brush dangers” generated numerous hits, including news reports from American Commercial Broadcast Television Network and Cable News Network (CNN) discussing accidental ingestions across the country.6,7 A CNN feature in May 2016 reported about 130 people present to the emergency department each year for swallowing a bristle from a wire brush.7Consumer reports from 2016 reported about 1700 Americans needing emergency room visits from ingestion of wire bristles.8 Consumer reports recommended considering safer cleaning tools for the grill, taking extra precautions when using wire-bristle brushes, and changing the brushes after 100 uses or every grill season.8
Authors’ Note
Dr. Vadihi and Dr. Jeyakumar conceptualized and designed the study, drafted the initial manuscript, reviewed and revised the manuscript, and critically reviewed the manuscript. Dr. Keane and Dr. Whalen reviewed, revised the manuscript, and critically reviewed the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Dr. Vadihi and Dr. Jeyakumar conceptualized and designed the study, drafted the initial manuscript, reviewed and revised the manuscript, and critically reviewed the manuscript. Dr. Keane and Dr. Whalen reviewed, revised the manuscript, and critically reviewed the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
| 1. | Sordo, S, Holloway, TL, Woodard, RL. Small bowel perforations by metallic grill bristles: clinical presentations and opportunity for prevention. Am Surg. 2016;82(5):412–415. Google Scholar | Medline |
| 2. | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Injuries from ingestion of wire bristles from grill-cleaning brushes—Providence, Rhode Island, March 2011–June 2012. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012:61(26):490–492. Google Scholar | Medline |
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| 4. | Di Guglielmo, M, Savage, J, Gould, S, Murphy, S. Female adolescent presenting with abdominal pain: accidental wire bristle ingestion leading to colonic perforation. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2017;33(5):356–358. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline |
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| 6. | http://www.cbsnews.com/news/grill-barbecue-metal-brush-dangers/ Updated May 6, 2019. Accessed May 6, 2019. Google Scholar |
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| 8. | http://www.consurmerreports.org/gas-grills/grill-brushes-surprising-risk/ Updated May 6, 2019. Accessed May 6, 2019. Google Scholar |
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