|
medpundit |
||
 |
 |
|
Tuesday, August 06, 2002The surgical registrar requested an abdominal film and this revealed a collection of small objects massed in the lower abdomen. On further inquiry the girl admitted to swallowing a number of small magnets over a period of time while imitating tongue piercing. She was rehydrated overnight and at laparotomy she was found to have five perforations in the small bowel and one in the caecum. The mass of magnets was resting extra-luminally. Peritoneal lavage was performed and the perforations closed. She was given antibiotics and transferred to the intensive care unit where she remained for one week before transfer to a general ward. After a further week as an inpatient she was discharged home. It was recognised during this cluster of cases that there was the potential for these magnets to attract each other across loops of bowel. ...The sequence of events involved in the case of perforation can be hypothesised but is most likely to have begun with two magnets in adjoining loops of bowel attracting each other and trapping the intestinal wall between them. The degree of obstruction created could cause the initial vomiting while the irritation to the mucosa could result in diarrhoea. As the mucosa thinned the bowel would perforate, allowing the magnets to join together extra-luminally and resulting in leakage of bowel contents into the peritoneal cavity. The magnets involved are neodymium supermagnets. My kids have some of these. They are indeed powerful. They can hold their attraction even through our wooden kitchen cupboard doors. (I've now thrown them away.) posted by Sydney on 8/06/2002 07:39:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
|
