On 4/9, Dr. Nguyen Minh Tien, Deputy Director of the Children's Hospital of TP HCM, reported on a 5-year-old patient who presented with three days of abdominal pain, a hunched posture, and vomiting. An X-ray revealed a string of foreign objects in the small intestine, and an ultrasound showed signs of enteritis and peritonitis.
Doctors conducted a consultation and performed laparoscopic surgery. They discovered a total of 8 perforations in the small intestine, each measuring 2-3 mm in diameter. Two chains totaling 20 magnets were removed. The magnets were rusted, causing significant intestinal damage. All perforations were surgically repaired.
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Two chains of magnets in the child's intestine shown in the X-ray image. Photo: Hospital provided |
Two chains of magnets in the child's intestine shown in the X-ray image. Photo: Hospital provided
Five days post-surgery, the child's pain and vomiting subsided, and he was alert and beginning to eat orally. Doctors are monitoring the intestinal mucosal damage and digestive function. The family believes the magnets came from small, square Lego-like blocks. After playing with them, the child apparently bit off the plastic covering and swallowed the magnets inside.
Doctors advise parents not to allow young children to play with small toys (regulations stipulate that toys for children 5 and under must have a minimum diameter greater than 5 cm). If a child is suspected of swallowing a foreign object, they should be taken to the hospital immediately. It's best to avoid giving young children toys containing magnets or batteries due to the high risk of digestive tract injury.
Le Phuong
