1kg of iron nails removed from stomach of man who suffers from mental illness and pica
A man in China had 180 nails, coins, screws and magnets removed from his stomach after doctors discovered a large cluster of metal objects inside his abdomen.
The unusual case was shared online on Sunday (9 Aug) by Dr Li Wei (name transliterated from Mandarin), the chief physician at the hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery department at Third People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province.
Patient suffered vomiting and abdominal pain
The 36-year-old man was brought to a local hospital by his family after experiencing persistent vomiting and severe abdominal pain for nine days, The Paper reported.
An abdominal X-ray revealed metallic objects clumped together inside his body.
Source: The Paper
Doctors initially suspected the objects may have been inserted through the urinary tract, but further examinations confirmed they were all inside his stomach.
Medical staff later found that the man had a history of chronic mental illness and pica, a condition where individuals consume non-food items.
While his family was aware of his mental illness, they were unaware of when or why he had ingested such a vast quantity of metal objects.
Surgery removed nearly 1kg of metal objects
The patient was transferred to the Third People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, where doctors conducted further tests and decided that surgery was necessary.
On Friday (7 Aug), Dr Li and his team carried out a nearly three-hour operation to remove the foreign objects.
Surgeons extracted about 180 nails, along with coins, screws, nuts and magnets.
The longest nail measured nearly 10 centimetres, while the total weight of the objects exceeded 1 kilogram.
Source: The Paper
Dr Li said the sharp objects had caused ulcers and erosion on the stomach lining.
However, the patient was fortunate that the nails did not puncture his stomach wall or move into his intestines.
He believes the magnets helped keep the metal objects clumped together, preventing them from spreading and causing further injuries.
The patient is recovering well and is in a relatively stable condition, the doctor shared.
Doctors warn against swallowing foreign objects
Dr Li said his department had previously treated patients who swallowed items such as wires, lighter flints and individual nails.
However, cases involving so many metal objects were extremely rare.
He said people should not assume swallowed objects will pass naturally through the digestive system.
Sharp or long objects can become trapped at narrow points in the digestive tract, potentially causing tears, perforation, infections or life-threatening complications.
While the surgery removed the immediate danger, Dr Li said the patient would require long-term psychiatric treatment, support from his family, regular medication adherence, and strict management of hazardous household items to reduce the risk of the behaviour happening again.
Also read: 50 uterine fibroids removed from Chinese woman whose belly continuously grew larger over time
50 uterine fibroids removed from Chinese woman whose belly continuously grew larger over time
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Featured image adapted from Huasheng Online and The Paper.
