Blade, Magnet Among Half kg Junk Found in Man’s Stomach in Salem
Published: 30th August 2014 06:00 AM | Last Updated: 30th August 2014 01:50 PM | A+A A-
SALEM: From blade to a magnetic piece, 58 items, weighing 500 grams, were removed from the stomach of a mentally challenged person after a four-hour-long surgery at the Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital (SGMKMCH), on Friday.
The patient, Selvakumar (29), of East street in Johnsonpet, was admitted to the hospital after he complained of severe stomach pain. To the shock of everyone, the scan report revealed the presence of iron materials in his stomach.
On Friday a team of doctors,comprising Sumathi, Sashta and Kannan carried out a surgery which lasted for four hours.
The materials which doctors removed included a magnetic piece, wire, coin, pendent, bottle lids, glass pieces, nuts and bolts. They weighed nearly half a kg.
At present, he is on ventilator at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital and his condition is stated to be critical. “He needs to be under observation for three days to ascertain the possibility to survive,” the doctors told Express.
After Selvakumar went missing a few few weeks back, relatives found him recently. “We suspect that he might have swallowed these items due to hunger.
After coming home, he develpoped stomach pain and family members took him to local clinics. Only when his condition deteriorated, he was admitted here Thursday evening,” P Sumathi, Senior Assistant Professor, told Express.
“On seeing the scan report, we too first we suspected that he could have swallowed gold chains. But during the surgery, we were shocked to see all these all things in his stomach. He had swallowed a big magnet piece. Later the coin, wire, iron pieces, which he swallowed got attached to the magnet which tore the small intestine, resulting in infection. Instead of taking food, he had consumed these things while out of home,” she said.
A similar surgery was performed at the hospital two decades ago. But, that person had swallowed only iron wires.
“It is shocking how one could swallow these,” wondered N Mohan, Dean SGMKMCH, who greeted the team of doctors for the successful surgery.
