Doctors at the National Children's Hospital examine a child patient - Photo: BVCC
On November 1, the National Children's Hospital announced that it had just received emergency treatment for a 14-month-old boy in Hanoi , who had swallowed a few tiny plastic beads while playing at home.
The patient's mother shared: "While playing with her siblings, she thought the seeds were candy so she put them in her mouth to eat. At night, when she vomited a lot and her stomach was bloated, I immediately took her to the hospital."
At the National Children’s Hospital, doctors from the emergency and anti-poison departments examined, took X-rays and ultrasounds, and found signs of intestinal obstruction. After consultation, the surgical team decided to perform emergency surgery on the child.
Dr. Nguyen Duc Thuong, Deputy Head of the Department of Intensive Care Surgery, National Children's Hospital, said: "During the surgery, surgeons determined that there were four expanding particles in the small intestine, causing complete intestinal obstruction.
The team removed all of the expanding seeds. Fortunately, the patient was discovered and operated on in time, so he did not have to have his intestines removed."
After surgery, the child was monitored in the surgical intensive care unit. Currently, the child's health is stable, alert, breathing and hemodynamics are normal, and he is expected to be discharged in the next few days.
According to doctors, expanding beads are a popular toy for children, in the form of tiny plastic beads, about 2-5mm in diameter, with many colorful colors.
When soaked in water, these beads can swell to dozens to hundreds of times their original size, creating eye-catching images that attract children.
However, popcorn seeds pose many potential health risks to children, especially the risk of intestinal obstruction, suffocation or digestive damage if children accidentally swallow them.
The foreign objects removed were small plastic particles that can expand when exposed to water - Photo: BVCC
Doctor Thuong added that the expanding beads are essentially a type of super absorbent polymer. Although they are non-toxic in nature, many types are mixed with dyes or chemicals during the manufacturing process to create color, which can be toxic or irritating to children.
In addition, due to its strong water absorption capacity, when swallowed, the seeds will swell in the intestines, easily leading to intestinal obstruction. Many similar cases have been recorded in Vietnam and around the world .
Doctors recommend that parents choose safe toys that are age-appropriate and closely monitor their children. If a child accidentally swallows a popcorn, even if the child has no symptoms, parents should still take the child to a medical facility for examination and timely treatment.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/be-trai-tac-ruot-sau-khi-nuot-hat-no-20251101084619318.htm
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