An unusual medical case occurred in China: an 11-year-old child swallowed a gold bar weighing 100 grams while playing at home. It is reported SCMP. The boy, named Qian, later complained to his parents of a bloated stomach, but was otherwise fine. The situation worried the family, and the child was rushed to the hospital.
During the X-ray examination, a dense metal object was found in the intestinal tract. Despite the absence of acute symptoms, the doctors initially tried to do without surgery – the boy was prescribed drugs that were supposed to stimulate bowel movement, so that the ingot would come out naturally.
Photo: scmp.com
However, for two days it did not produce any results. Re-examination confirmed that the object remained in place and did not dislodge, creating a risk of intestinal obstruction or even perforation. Doctors decided on immediate surgical intervention.
The operation was performed by endoscopy to avoid surgical dissection. According to the doctors, the difficulty was the large size of the ingot and its slippery surface. Two surgeons managed to extract the gold in less than 30 minutes.
The boy quickly recovered: two days after the procedure, he returned to his usual diet. After the observation, the doctors confirmed that there were no complications, and the child was discharged from the hospital.
Photo: scmp.com
Edition SCMP writes that stories of children swallowing objects ranging from coins and button batteries to nails and toy accessories often make headlines in mainland China. In 2022, a five-year-old boy in northwestern China swallowed a castle 3 cm long and 2 cm wide out of curiosity. Although medical advice recommended surgery to remove it, his parents decided to wait, believing the lock would eventually pass naturally as it emptied.
Nine days later, they returned to the hospital, upset that the lock remained inside their son’s body, and he was in a lot of pain. During surgery, doctors managed to remove the lock in just one minute.
