A narcotic foreign body in the throat

Abstract

The impaction of a cannabis-filled condom in the upper oesophagus of a 28-year-old prisoner is reported. The history was deceptive and smoking and drug abuse denied. The ENT surgeon being unaware of the identity of the drug faced tackling a possibly lethal foreign body, technically difficult to remove by the usual forceps method. (The Dormier basket is recommended for this task but we were unable to try it). Passage of the condom into the stomach occurred during attempted removal and its further progress was uneventful, indicating that gastroscopic removal of cannabis is unnecessary unless obstructive symptoms occur.