A pediatric emergency doctor has warned about the dangers of wire grill brushes after a four-year-old boy presented a mysterious illness when he ingested metal pieces from one.
Meghan Martin, from Florida, frequently share videos to her TikTok channel and gives her over 1.2 million followers tips on how to stay safe and healthy.
Most recently, the doctor shared a cautionary tale in a viral video, which garnered over 34.1 million views, about ‘one of the most interesting cases’ she has ever encountered involving a young boy who symptoms began with ear pain following a backyard barbeque.
Despite many tests, doctors were unable to find the reasoning behind the child’s symptoms and sent him off. But, when the four-year-old boy became more ill, Dr. Martin stepped in and discovered the culprit was a brush used to clean your grill and warned others about the ‘lesson that could save your life.’
Meghan Martin , from Florida, has warned about the dangers of wire grill brushes after a four-year-old boy presented a mysterious illness when he ingested metal pieces from one
She frequently share videos to her TikTok channel and gives her over 1.2 million followers tips on how to stay safe and healthy
Most recently, the doctor shared a cautionary tale in a viral video, which garnered over 34.1 million views, about ‘one of the most interesting cases’ involving a wire grill brush
‘One of the most interesting cases that I have had to date was a four-year-old boy who was at a barbeque eating when he suddenly grabbed his ear and started crying, complaining of ear pain,’ she said at the beginning of the clip.
She explained that the boy’s parents brought him to the emergency room, however doctors were unable to find the reason for his discomfort.
Dr. Martin said that the boy had a ‘totally normal ear exam’ and noted that the boy was home from the hospital.
Two days later, the young boy was still suffering from severe pain and was sent to an ear, nose and throat specialist.
However, not even the specialist could determine the cause of the discomfort.
‘The family was doing ibuprofen and some numbing drops in the ear at home and nothing was helping.
So, two more days later, they came back to the emergency department,’ Dr. Martin explained.
The four-year-old boy even received a CAT scan ‘without contrast,’ but it also resulted in nothing.
About 10 days into the horrific ordeal, the young boy and his parents came back into the ER in the middle of the night and he had a fever and no appetite.
‘He comes back to the emergency department at 4:30 in the morning, and I’m on the doctor on.
‘Now he’s having some fevers and he’s not wanting to eat or drink anything, and we have no idea what’s going on with him,’ the pediatric emergency doctor said.
She went on to add that the boy’s ear exam continued to be ‘totally normal,’ despite him still experiencing ear pain, and his throat was slightly swollen.
The doctors then went ‘all out’ to discover the reasoning behind the boy’s pain.
She said that after a barbecue a young boy’s parents brought him into the ER because h was complaining of ear pain
Dr. Martin revealed they performed a more extensive CAT scan – which covered both the ears and neck and had contrast this time – and did ‘a ton’ of labs
Dr. Martin revealed they performed a more extensive CAT scan – which covered both the ears and neck and had contrast this time – and did ‘a ton’ of labs.
Finally, after the tests came back, doctors had found the cause.
‘We got our answer on the CAT scan. He had about a two centimeter metal wire that was lodged in the peritonsillar on the right and he’d started to develop an abscess around it,’ she explained.
The doctor explained that the boy at a hamburger at the barbecue and had swallowed metal wires from a grill brush that was lodged in the meat.
Luckily, surgeons were able to remove the wire and drain the abscess, and the young boy’s pain ‘was totally resolved.’
Now, the doctor is making it her mission to warn others about the dangers of metal wire grill brushes.
Finally, they discovered the cause was because he had accidentally ingested a bristle from a wire brush
According to a 2016 study , about 1,700 people went to an emergency room between 2002 and 2014 after having ingested wire bristles in a grilled food (stock image)
‘Do not use grill brushes with metal wires,’ she said, explaining that the wires can become stuck in the soft tissues of the throat and can even cause bowel obstructions if accidentally swallowed.
Although incidents with metal wire brushes are rare, they have become exceedingly more common in recent years.
According to a 2016 study, about 1,700 people went to an emergency room between 2002 and 2014 after having ingested wire bristles in a grilled food.
And although it may seem like a small number, it only accounts for the cases where patients were admitted to the ER.
The study shows that injuries from grill brushes have been mostly reported in injuries with the mouth and throat, but in rare instances, some people have sustained stomach and intestinal injuries.
Instead of using a wire grill brush, experts recommend opting for non-wire brush, or a cleaning block, stone, or grill floss to keep your grill clean and avoid any trips to the emergency room.
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