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Opposites attract: a case of magnet ingestion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2015

Helen H.L. Wong  and
Bruce A. Phillips
Helen H.L. Wong
Affiliation:
Emergency Department, British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC
Bruce A. Phillips*
Affiliation:
Emergency Department, British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC
*
Emergency Department, British Columbia Children's Hospital, 4480 Oak St., Vancouver BC V6H 3V4; [email protected]

Abstract

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Foreign-body ingestion is relatively common in the pediatric population and most objects pass through the gastrointestinal tract with minimal complications. Popular toy magnetic construction sets have resulted in numerous reports in the literature of serious complications including death following ingestion of multiple magnets. We report a case of a 5-year-old girl who presented to our emergency department with nonbilious vomiting and mild abdominal pain after accidentally ingesting 2 magnets 10 hours apart. Abdominal radiography showed the presence of 2 magnets, and a laparoscopy revealed multiple areas of bowel wall necrosis and perforation requiring subsequent laparotomy for repair of the bowel wall and retrieval of the magnets. This report aims to alert emergency care physicians of the necessity for early surgical referral with any multiple magnet ingestion to prevent severe complications.

Keywords

magnet ingestionforeign-body ingestionbowel perforation
Type
Case Report • Rapport de cas
Information
Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine , Volume 11 , Issue 5 , September 2009 , pp. 493 - 495
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 2009

References

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