A 30-year-old male prisoner was brought to the emergency room after attempting suicide by ingesting a razor. An x-ray showed the razor blade in his esophagus. The doctors performed a rigid esophagoscopy under general anesthesia to extract the razor blade, which they were able to do without complications other than minor mucosal tears. An x-ray of his abdomen did not reveal any razors in his stomach or bowels. The ingestion of sharp foreign objects like razors is rare but serious because it can result in perforation of the gastrointestinal tract.

1. ‫الرحيم‬ ‫الرحمن‬ ‫هللا‬ ‫بسم‬
Ingestion of a Razor
Prof. Abdulsalam Y Taha
College of Medicine
University of Sulaimani
2022
1

2. The Case
A 30-years old male prisoner was
brought to the Emergency and
Accident Department of Sulaymaniyah
Teaching Hospital, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
on 15th of July 2008 after attempting a
suicide by ingesting a razor.
2

3. 3

4. 4

5. The Case…
 A lateral cervical X-ray showed a
complete razor blade in the cervical
esophagus with no evidence of
subcutaneous emphysema. Rigid
esophagoscopy was performed under GA
and the razor was extracted with no
complication apart from simple mucosal
tears.
 A plain X-ray of the abdomen revealed no
razors in the stomach or bowel.
5

6. 6

7. 7

8. Post-Esophagoscopy
8

9. 9

10. Comment
 The deliberate ingestion of foreign bodies
is a common occurrence in prisons and
psychiatric institutions. These objects are
usually blunt; thus, surgical extraction is
not necessary. In contrast, the ingestion
of sharp foreign objects is rare, but
serious as it may result in gastrointestinal
perforation.
 Prisoners commonly attempt suicide by
ingesting sharp foreign bodies such as
razors. 10