Spectacular laparoscopic and open surgery to remove 27 magnets from the stomach of a 2-year-old child

A 2-year-old girl in Dong Nai swallowed 27 magnets from a children's toy, perforating her intestines and stomach. Doctors had to perform emergency endoscopy, laparoscopic surgery, and open surgery to remove all the magnets.

2-year-old girl's intestines and stomach perforated after swallowing 27 magnets from a toy - Photo: AB

On the evening of February 11, Dong Nai Children's Hospital announced that it had successfully treated a girl who swallowed 27 magnets, causing a perforation of her intestines and stomach.

Previously, a girl named Đ.KA (2 years old, residing in Long Binh ward, Bien Hoa city) was taken to the hospital by her family for treatment due to abdominal pain, suspected of swallowing a foreign object. Two days ago, the girl complained of abdominal pain around the navel, only occasionally having mild pain, so the family did not pay attention.

On the evening of February 9, the patient's mother accidentally discovered that the child had swallowed something unknown, so she took her child to the hospital for examination the next morning.

Through ultrasound and X-ray, the doctor noted a very bright radiopaque foreign object in the child's intestines, so he was admitted to the hospital. On the afternoon of February 9, the doctor scheduled an emergency gastroscopy for the child.

X-ray film detects radiopaque foreign bodies in the intestines - Photo: AB

The patient then underwent emergency endoscopy in the operating room. Doctors discovered 11 magnets in the stomach standing upright and sucking into the underside of the stomach.

The surgery successfully removed 10 pills, but the last pill was stuck so tightly in the stomach lining that it could not be removed. Therefore, the doctor decided to switch to laparoscopic surgery to examine the entire abdomen.

Magnet removed from girl's intestines - Photo: AB

During the laparoscopic surgery, the abdomen was clean and no magnets were detected. However, a section of the small intestine was very tightly attached and could not be pulled out. Therefore, the surgical team once again decided to switch to open surgery.

Performing open surgery, the doctor separated the tightly adhered intestine and discovered the magnet and the first hole through the intestine. This intestine had many magnets lined up vertically and poked out of the intestine. The doctor removed 8 magnets from the small intestine and sewed the hole closed.

Next, the doctor continued to open the stomach to find the remaining magnet and was surprised to discover that the magnet was still absorbed into a section of the small intestine near the duodenum. When the two magnets were separated, the doctor discovered two more holes in the back of the stomach and the small intestine near the duodenum.

Through these two holes, the surgical team removed 8 more square magnets (each side is about 3mm). After suturing the two holes, a post-operative X-ray examination showed no other foreign objects.

Dr. Trang said this was a "special" surgery because it involved emergency endoscopy, laparoscopic surgery, and open surgery. The surgery was successfully completed after 3 hours of effort by the entire medical team.

"The baby's health is now stable. Although the surgical wound still hurts, his abdomen is not distended, he has no fever, can defecate, and can be discharged in about a week," said Dr. Trang.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ngoan-muc-ca-mo-noi-soi-va-ca-mo-ho-lay-27-vien-nam-cham-trong-bung-be-2-tuoi-2025021119103352.htm