India: Delhi hospital removes 39 coins, 37 magnets from man's intestine in rare surgery

In a remarkable medical case, doctors at a Delhi-based hospital successfully removed 39 coins and 37 magnets from a man's intestine through surgery.

The man, as per media reports, had ingested the coins and magnets under the mistaken belief that zinc aids in body-building.

What happened?

At Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, a 26-year-old patient who is reportedly suffering from a psychiatric illness came to the emergency ward with complaints of persistent vomiting and abdominal pain lasting over 20 days.

The patient also reported he could not eat anything.

During examination in the outpatient department, the patient's family revealed that for the past few weeks, he had been consuming coins and magnets.

Additionally, they revealed that the patient who has not been identified by name was undergoing treatment for a "known case of psychiatric illness",reports ANI.

A hidden treasure

An x-ray of the patient's abdomen revealed a 'hidden treasure' of coins and magnets. Doctors spotted radio-opaque shadows resembling the items. A subsequent CT scan confirmed that there was a significant accumulation of coins and magnets, which were causing intestinal blockage. These surprising heaps necessitated an immediate surgical intervention.

During the surgery, doctors discovered that the magnets and coins had formed two separate loops in the small intestine, which were pullingtogether because of the magnetic effect, leading to erosion.

The coins and magnets were meticulously removed, and the two loops were rejoined through separate anastomoses — a surgical procedure to join two structures.

Further exploration revealed a substantial number of coins in the stomach, which were also extracted, and the stomach was repaired.

The medical team successfully extracted 39 coins from the patient's digestive tract. These coins comprised Rs 1, 2, and 5 coins. Additionally, they also removed 37 magnets of various shapes, including heart, spherical, star, bullet, and triangle.

Following the successful procedure, an operative x-ray confirmed the complete removal of all foreign objects and the patient was discharged in a healthy condition after a week-long hospital stay.

Later, the patient revealed that he had swallowed the coins and magnets believing that zinc would aid in body-building. The coins contained zinc, and he ingested the magnets to ensure the coins remained in the intestine for enhanced zinc absorption.

(With inputs from agencies)