6cm foreign object "stuck" in waist due to self-acupuncture

(Dan Tri) - Military Hospital 103 has just received treatment for a patient who self-performed acupuncture, causing a 6cm long broken needle to pierce deep into his lower back.

Previously, on October 30, patient HTG (52 years old, residing in Hanoi ) visited Military Hospital 103 with acute back pain and difficulty walking.

Through clinical examination, doctors discovered many needle-like spots around the lumbar region. X-ray results revealed a metal foreign object embedded deep along the vertebral body.

Through medical history, the patient said that when he felt pain in his lower back, he used an acupuncture needle on himself. A 6cm long needle broke off and pierced the patient’s vertebrae.

X-ray image shows broken needle piercing vertically into the patient's vertebrae (Photo: Provided by the hospital).

“A part of the needle was inserted into the abdomen, fortunately not damaging the surrounding organs,” said Dr. Hoang Thanh Tung, Head of the Department of Spinal Trauma and Orthopedics, 103 Military Hospital. “After taking X-rays and evaluating and screening for tests that qualified for surgery, we performed surgery to remove the foreign object from the patient.”

After a 30-minute surgery, the doctors accurately located the foreign object and successfully removed it. The patient recovered well, walked normally, and was discharged from the hospital.

A 6cm long needle was removed after surgery (Photo: Provided by the hospital).

“Self-administered acupuncture is a very dangerous act. If unfortunately, the needle penetrates deep into the abdomen, causing damage to internal organs, forcing open surgery to remove the foreign object,” Dr. Tung warned.

More seriously, if the needle is left in the body, the patient faces complications such as abscess, needle puncture into the spinal canal causing nerve damage leading to paralysis, causing cerebrospinal fluid leakage... threatening the patient's life.

According to Dr. Tung, lower back pain is a symptom of many different diseases: spine, urinary system, digestive system, obstetrics and gynecology...

When experiencing signs of pain and difficulty in movement, patients should visit the hospital, undergo tests and imaging to get a correct diagnosis, avoiding missing the "golden time" in treatment.

The hospital has received many cases of similar complications and accidents due to patients self-treating at home or going to unlicensed medical facilities.

It is worth mentioning that recently, many people have relied on artificial intelligence tools like Chat GPT to "self-diagnose", prescribe medicine and treat according to online instructions.

“Tools like Google and Chat GPT only provide reference information and cannot replace a doctor's diagnosis. Patients need to go to hospitals and specialized clinics with modern equipment to detect and treat the disease properly instead of arbitrarily following unofficial instructions on the internet," Dr. Tung emphasized.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/di-vat-6cm-mac-ket-trong-that-lung-vi-tu-cham-cuu-20251108151106870.htm