Doctors swallow Lego heads to test how long they take to come out the other end
A team of six experts from the UK and Australia took part in the bizarre study over a two-week period
DOCTORS swallowed Lego heads to test what happens if your child accidentally gulps a piece down.
A team of six experts from the UK and Australia took part in the bizarre study over a two-week period.
They were keen to see how dangerous the popular toy could be to kids – especially with Lego heads being so small, just 1cm x 1cm.
The team, including author Grace Leo, developed two tests – the Stool Hardness and Transit (SHAT) score and the Found and Retrieved Time (FART) score.
SHAT tested their stools’ consistency, while FART was the time it took them to pass the head.
The researchers found that consistency stayed the same and the average time to pass was 1.7 days.
The experiment, seen as a bit of fun, was published in the Christmas issue of the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Ms Leo: said: “For most people it was passed after one to three stools. But for poor [researcher] Damien Roland, he didn’t find his, so we made him search every stool for two weeks.
“I passed it on the first stool afterwards and was very relieved.”
Ms Leo said that none of her colleagues suffered any discomfort or ill effects from their experiment but parents should seek medical help if worried about their children.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR KID SWALLOWS LEGO
- Most swallowed objects pass through the digestive system without any problems once they have reached the stomach.
- Metal coins are the most common and often harmless type of objects swallowed by children.
- Batteries, magnets and items containing lead have the potential for more serious complications.
- It is important to tell the doctor if these types of items have been swallowed.
- After visiting hospital, it is not necessary to examine the stool to check for passage of the item.
- But please do watch for abdominal pain, vomiting or blood passed in stool. Although complications are unlikely, these symptoms do warrant a review by a doctor in Children’s A&E.
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