Doctors save 7-year old by removing 50 magnets from intestine

Vijayawada: The corporate Rainbow Children's Hospital here saved the life of a seven-year child by removing 50 magnets from his stomach.

Dr Vamsi Sivarama Raju, consultant pediatrician and neonatologist, said the boy was suffering from severe abdominal pain and vomiting for about 24-48 hours and the parents rushed him to the emergency room.

“A clinical examination and investigations revealed the presence of foreign bodies in the  abdomen. The  parents said the boy had been playing with magnetic balls for the past couple of days. Timely identification and intervention prevented the child from severe sepsis and prolonged ICU stay.”

“The ingestion of such magnets is increasing in children due to widespread use in toys. A Taiwanese study reported 13 cases of magnet ingestion from 2009 to 2018 and China reported the maximum number of such cases -56 cases, between 2010 and 2020. Among these, the highest number of magnets retrieved in a child was 73.” Dr Raju said.

 Dr Siva Satya Prasun, consultant pediatric surgeon explained, “Intra operatively multiple bowel perforations were noted in the small intestine and a large perforation in the large intestine. Multiple small pearl shaped magnets, approximately 50, were removed from boy’s intestine with the help of C-ARM X-Ray.”

“Perforations were closed and a temporary ileostomy was performed. The boy was in the ICU for a brief period and started recovering very quickly. Ileostomy closure was done after two months.”