Ileal perforation induced by a wire from a metal scouring pad in an infant.

Foreign body ingestion is a common occurrence in the pediatric population. We present the case of a 1-year-old infant boy who presented with abdominal distention and shock. At laparotomy, he was found to have an ileal perforation caused by a wire from an aluminum scouring pad that his parents were not aware he had ingested. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of a scouring pad-related perforation. This report emphasizes the danger of ingesting fragments of a metal scouring pad and the importance of considering foreign body impaction in the workup of pediatric gastrointestinal perforation.