Uncommon Sites for Body Stuffing: A Literature Review
Journal Title: Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research - Year 2014, Vol 4, Issue 10
Abstract
Introduction: ‘‘Body stuffing’ refers to concealment of illegal drugs within the human body to avoid arrest. Emergency physicians and law enforcement authorities should be aware of uncommon sites of concealment used to avoid detection. Methods: A literature search of Medline (Pubmed), Science Direct and the Cochrane databases was done, for articles relating to body packing or body stuffing of illegal drugs and sites of concealment. Results: A total of 55 full text articles and one abstract were reviewed after removing duplicates and non relevant titles. Seventeen articles were included in the results. Cocaine was the most common drug. Body stuffing is more common among males in the 3rd to 4th decade of life. The majority of cases, 99% (1144 cases), involved concealment in the oral cavity or ingestion. Unusual sites for body stuffing reported were the external auditory canal (5 cases), the rectum (3 cases), the superior oropharynx and glans penis (one case each). Complications reported are fatal toxicity, aspiration and oesophageal obstruction. Conclusion: Although uncommon, ear, nose and throat orifices have been used in body stuffing. Authorities and attending physicians should be aware that these orifices can be used to conceal drugs and proceed to a full otorhinolaryngologic examination if warranted.
Authors and Affiliations
R. Philip, D. Aidayanti
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP349041
- DOI 10.9734/BJMMR/2014/7683
- Views 59
- Downloads 0
Lung Function, Arterial Blood Gases, and Carotid Intima–media Thickness as a Predictor of Cerebral Stroke
Background: Elevated risk of cardiovascular disease mortality in patients with reduced lung function had been demonstrated in several studies. Fewer studies have investigated the relation between pulmonary function, arte...
Investigation of Deformities in Staples Used for Gastrectomy -Comparison of Two Different Staplers in Clinical Practice
Background: Few studies have investigated or verified the deformation of staples surgically administered in the human stomach. The shape of the formed staple must represent the characteristics of the stapler used. Method...
Effect of Muscle Energy Technique on Pain Perception and Functional Disability of Women with Postnatal Low Back Pain
Aims: To determine the effect of muscle energy technique (MET) on postnatal low back pain. Place and Duration of Study: Department of obstetrics and gynecology, Ain Shams University Hospital, and Outpatient Clinic of Fac...
The Toxic Effects of Lead on Testicular Macrophage Immunomodualation and Sperm Cell Parameters in Mice
Aims: In the present study the toxic effects of lead was investigated experimentally on the testicular macrophages and sperm cells isolated from testes of adult male mice to ascertain the extent of immunomodulation and r...
Body Composition Changes and Predictors of Lipodystrophy in a Cohort of Pre-pubertal HIV- infected Children
Aim: To evaluate body composition changes in HIV-infected patients and to identify the predictors of lipodystrophy over time. Methods: A cohort study, evaluated over two and a half years (Time 1: T1; Time 2: T2), includ...