(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

Doctors at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa removed a metallic chain from the stomach of a 4-year-old boy who ingested it.

Children are at times curious, and in this case, it led to a visit to an emergency room and invasive treatment. The boy’s sister saw him playing with it and when it suddenly vanished, she understood that he swallowed it. This was confirmed by hospital personnel who ordered an x-ray.

The child was asymptomatic, not complaining of pain or discomfort. It was decided to hold off with an invasive procedure and admit the boy for observation while following the passage of the chain through the stomach and digestive tract, permitting it to pass through the body on its own, which often occurs in such cases. After two days x-rays saw the chain in his stomach and the decision was made not to wait any longer but to extract via an invasive procedure.

The child was mildly sedated and the chain was removed and the child remained on Monday for observation.

Chief of the hospital’s pediatric gastro department Professor Ron Shaul explained “Theoretically speaking, the chain could have become stuck further into the digestive tract but amid this realization, we also try to avoid invasive procedures whenever possible in small children. However, in this case there were no other alternatives, and there was a need for intervention in an effort to maintain the child’s health”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Rambam spokesman unit)