From pill bottle to operating table: an isolated incident of laparotomy for desiccant retrieval

An elderly patient in their 80s presented to the emergency department via urgent care referral with 4 days of oral intolerance, right lower quadrant abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. An outside facility CT scan revealed a transition point in the ileum with small bowel obstruction and a rectangular foreign body measuring 1.6×1.1 cm ( figure 1).