Photo: @beachgem10 | TikTokA pediatric emergency medicine doctor is cautioning about the dangers of wire grill brushes after a 4-year-old boy suffered complications when he ingested pieces from one at a barbecue.Meghan Martin, a Florida physician known as Beachgem10 on TikTok, shared a video this week in which she broke down “one of the most interesting cases” that she has had involving a young boy who initially complained of intense ear pain after a backyard barbecue.At first, doctors in the emergency room couldn’t figure out the reason for his discomfort.“He had a totally normal ear exam,” Martin said, adding that the boy was sent home from the hospital.A visit with an ear nose and throat specialist two days later couldn’t net a diagnosis for the child, who was still suffering from pain. Another visit to the ER in which he received a CAT scan also resulted in nothing.It wasn’t until the boy went back to the ER in the middle of the night with a fever and no appetite — about 10 days into the ordeal — that doctors did a full slate of tests on the boy, including a more extensive CAT scan.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“We have no idea what’s going on with him,” Martin said. “We did every test that we could think of doing.“The CAT scan, however, revealed the problem: The boy had a two-centimeter wire lodged in his peritonsillar tissues, and had started to develop an abscess around it.The doctor went on to say that the boy, who ate a hamburger at the barbecue, had swallowed metal wires from a grill brush that got lodged in the meat.Surgeons later removed the wire and drained the abscess, and “his pain was totally resolved,” Martin said.Now, the doctor is warning others about the potential for injury.“Do not use grill brushes with metal wires,” she said, adding that the wires can become lodged in soft tissues of the throat, also cause bowel obstructions and perforations in the abdomen if accidentally swallowed.Martin’s post has since gone viral, racking up more than 32 million views.
Photo: @beachgem10 | TikTok
A pediatric emergency medicine doctor is cautioning about the dangers of wire grill brushes after a 4-year-old boy suffered complications when he ingested pieces from one at a barbecue.Meghan Martin, a Florida physician known as Beachgem10 on TikTok, shared a video this week in which she broke down “one of the most interesting cases” that she has had involving a young boy who initially complained of intense ear pain after a backyard barbecue.At first, doctors in the emergency room couldn’t figure out the reason for his discomfort.“He had a totally normal ear exam,” Martin said, adding that the boy was sent home from the hospital.A visit with an ear nose and throat specialist two days later couldn’t net a diagnosis for the child, who was still suffering from pain. Another visit to the ER in which he received a CAT scan also resulted in nothing.It wasn’t until the boy went back to the ER in the middle of the night with a fever and no appetite — about 10 days into the ordeal — that doctors did a full slate of tests on the boy, including a more extensive CAT scan.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“We have no idea what’s going on with him,” Martin said. “We did every test that we could think of doing.“The CAT scan, however, revealed the problem: The boy had a two-centimeter wire lodged in his peritonsillar tissues, and had started to develop an abscess around it.The doctor went on to say that the boy, who ate a hamburger at the barbecue, had swallowed metal wires from a grill brush that got lodged in the meat.Surgeons later removed the wire and drained the abscess, and “his pain was totally resolved,” Martin said.Now, the doctor is warning others about the potential for injury.“Do not use grill brushes with metal wires,” she said, adding that the wires can become lodged in soft tissues of the throat, also cause bowel obstructions and perforations in the abdomen if accidentally swallowed.Martin’s post has since gone viral, racking up more than 32 million views.
A pediatric emergency medicine doctor is cautioning about the dangers of wire grill brushes after a 4-year-old boy suffered complications when he ingested pieces from one at a barbecue.
Meghan Martin, a Florida physician known as Beachgem10 on TikTok, shared a video this week in which she broke down “one of the most interesting cases” that she has had involving a young boy who initially complained of intense ear pain after a backyard barbecue.
At first, doctors in the emergency room couldn’t figure out the reason for his discomfort.
“He had a totally normal ear exam,” Martin said, adding that the boy was sent home from the hospital.
A visit with an ear nose and throat specialist two days later couldn’t net a diagnosis for the child, who was still suffering from pain. Another visit to the ER in which he received a CAT scan also resulted in nothing.
It wasn’t until the boy went back to the ER in the middle of the night with a fever and no appetite — about 10 days into the ordeal — that doctors did a full slate of tests on the boy, including a more extensive CAT scan.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“We have no idea what’s going on with him,” Martin said. “We did every test that we could think of doing.”
The CAT scan, however, revealed the problem: The boy had a two-centimeter wire lodged in his peritonsillar tissues, and had started to develop an abscess around it.
The doctor went on to say that the boy, who ate a hamburger at the barbecue, had swallowed metal wires from a grill brush that got lodged in the meat.
Surgeons later removed the wire and drained the abscess, and “his pain was totally resolved,” Martin said.
Now, the doctor is warning others about the potential for injury.
“Do not use grill brushes with metal wires,” she said, adding that the wires can become lodged in soft tissues of the throat, also cause bowel obstructions and perforations in the abdomen if accidentally swallowed.
Martin’s post has since gone viral, racking up more than 32 million views.
source: people.com
