Foreign bodies intentionally ingested by a prisoner. A case presentation.

The conscious ingestion of foreign bodies is frequent among prisoners. It is a phenomenon associated with an increase in morbidity - mortality and costs. Generally, it does not require specific intervention, although severe complications may appear, which sometimes require urgent surgical treatment.to present the case of a prisoner with recurrent intentional ingestion of multiple foreign bodies, one of them not previously diagnosed. Case presentation: A 24-years-old male patient, with no relevant history, held in the Camagüey province maximum security prison. The wire was introduced through the mouth 40 cm long, with a hook at its tip. Referring to hypersalivation and retrosternal discomfort. The physical examination found normality of his vital parameters, without alterations in the chest examination, with a painful abdomen on deep palpation of the right lower quadrant. A posteroanterior and lateral chest X-ray was performed, finding a foreign body from the mouth to the lower third of the thoracic esophagus, an abdominal X-ray where another foreign body was located in the pelvis, which he reported having intentionally ingested a year ago. An urgent laparotomy was performed and both foreign bodies were removed. The patient evolves satisfactorily without developing complications. The intentional ingestion of foreign bodies in the prison population is a complex health problem. Prevention is one of the fundamental pillars of its treatment. A high index of suspicion on the ingestion of multiple objects is important; in this group of patients surgery is frequently required.