Life-Saving Surgery at Indraprastha Apollo: Nine-Year-Old Boy Saved After Swallowing Six Magnets

In a critical medical intervention, a nine-year-old boy from Greater Noida was successfully treated at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals after ingesting six small bullet-shaped magnets, each measuring 1.5 inches. The child presented with severe abdominal pain and persistent vomiting for nearly ten days after magnet ingestion. A CT scan confirmed the presence of the magnets in his small intestine.

A specialised surgical team, led by Dr. SK Chowdhary, Senior Consultant in Pediatric Urology and Clinical Director at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, and Dr. Karunesh Kumar, Senior Consultant in Pediatric Gastroenterology, performed a combination of laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures to extract the magnets. This timely intervention prevented potential life-threatening complications, such as perforation or intestinal blockage, to the patient, avoiding the need for bowel removal.

Dr. Chowdhary emphasised the dangers of foreign body ingestion in children, noting that multiple magnet ingestion increases the risk and can cause mechanical obstruction or perforation of the bowel if tissues get trapped between them. So, surgical intervention is the only feasible approach to solve this medical crisis.

This successful surgery underscores the expertise and excellence of the medical team at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in handling complex Pediatric emergencies. The swift and precise intervention not only saved the child’s life but also served as a crucial reminder to parents about the potential dangers of household items to their children and the importance of vigilant supervision.