Hand-held metal detectors similar to those used by security guards at airports, defense plants and elsewhere are helping physicians find coins that little children swallow.

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Pediatricians at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago say the detectors quickly pinpoint the exact locations of coins as small as a dime. If the money is in the stomach, nature will take care of the problem. If the coin is stuck in the throat, it must be removed by physicians. Using the metal detector can save a trip to a hospital emergency room and expensive X-rays.Scripps Howard News Service.

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