Dr. Christos Tzivinikos graduated in 1999 from the Medical School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. After several years serving as a medical officer aboard ships in the Greek navy, he began specialty training in paediatrics in the United Kingdom in 2005. Further training in gastroenterology followed between 2012 and 2015, culminating in a consultancy at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, which he held until 2018. He then moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to establish a paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition department at Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital.

Dr. Tzivinikos shares his expertise on foreign-body ingestion in children, focusing particularly on button batteries and rare-earth magnets. This discussion addresses three key questions: How dangerous are rare-earth magnets? When and how should ingested magnets be removed? Are current efforts sufficient for advocacy and awareness?

Literature

• Online course – Paediatric Gastroenterology: Management of Foreign Body Ingestion in Children: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/paediatric-gastroenterology-management-of-foreign-body-ingestion-in-children/1

• Nugud A et al. Pediatric magnet ingestion, diagnosis, management, and prevention: A European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) position paper. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2023 Apr 1;76(4):523-532. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003702. Epub 2023 Mar 22. PMID: 36947000

• Furlano RI et al. Mistakes in paediatric foreign body ingestion and how to avoid them. UEG Education. 2024;24:1-7. Non-indexed journal.

  Dr. Tzivinikos´s favourite song: Theodorakis ‘s song - Aprilis

  ESPGHAN favourite songs can be found on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0YIHKjxITLEm9XNyHyypTo