Boy swallows 4 magnets stuck together causing intestinal perforation

Not only causing a fever, the four magnets also stuck together, blocking the intestines and causing two holes in the intestines of a 6-year-old boy in Can Tho in two different locations.

4 magnets that baby L. swallowed - Photo: Hospital

On the evening of August 18, Dr. Chung Tan Dinh - Director of Soc Trang Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital - said that the hospital had just successfully removed 4 magnets from the abdomen of a 6-year-old boy.

Previously, on August 13, Soc Trang Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital received a boy named HTL (6 years old, residing in Tai Van commune, Can Tho city) with severe pain in the right iliac fossa, showing signs of infection.

Through medical history, before being admitted to the hospital, the family discovered that baby L. complained of stomach pain and said that he had swallowed a foreign object at an unknown time. Initially, the pain appeared slowly, then gradually increased, causing baby L. to cry in pain and have a fever, so the family took him to the hospital.

At the General Emergency Department, doctors conduct clinical examinations and prescribe necessary paraclinical tests, including abdominal X-rays with contrast.

The image showed a radiopaque foreign body in the form of a string located in the abdominal area around the navel and right iliac fossa. The doctors held an interdisciplinary consultation and agreed to perform emergency laparoscopic surgery.

During the surgery, the surgeon discovered 4 magnets stuck together, causing intestinal obstruction, resulting in 2 holes in 2 different locations. The surgeon removed the foreign object, sutured the holes, cleaned the abdomen, and performed drainage.

Two days after surgery, baby L.'s health condition was stable, he was able to defecate, but he needed to stay in the hospital for further monitoring.

According to Dr. Chung Tan Dinh, swallowing foreign objects is a common accident in young children, due to their curiosity and desire to explore the world around them.

Every year, Soc Trang Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital receives many children hospitalized due to swallowing or choking on foreign objects such as toys, buttons, coins, etc. However, cases of swallowing magnets like the above are especially rare and dangerous.

Magnets are magnetic and always attract other metals. When a child swallows two or more, they tend to stick together. In this case, four magnets were located in two different intestinal loops, and they stuck together, preventing the intestinal loops from moving, causing a blockage.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/be-trai-nuot-4-cuc-nam-cham-dinh-chat-vao-nhau-gay-thung-ruot-20250818185631785.htm