In a case of parental negligence, a 5-year-old Chinese boy had to undergo surgery after he swallowed 123 magnetic beads while watching TV. The incident happened when the kid was alone with his 12-year-old sister after their parents left for work, leaving both at home by themselves.
Glued to the television screen, the little boy picked up the toy balls next to him and swallowed them one after another, reported Guiyang Evening News.
Later, when the parents returned, the boy told them that he had only eaten one bead, following which he was taken to a doctor. Assuming that it is just one bead, a local doctor told them that the toy ball would be excreted within a few days. However, that didn’t happen even after a week and his parents decided to take him to the hospital again.
At the hospital, doctors conducted an X-ray and were shocked to discover the tiny beads all bundled up inside the child’s body. Emergency surgery was soon scheduled and a total of 123 magnetic beads were removed from his body after a four-hour surgery.
“It’s rare to see [someone] swallowing so many magnetic beads. Because the number of magnetic beads is relatively large, the operation time was long, and the procedure was difficult,” lead surgeon Dr. Wanwei Chen told reporters.
“Two surgical instruments had been worn out. It was very difficult to take out all of the balls,” he added.
The boy is now said to be recovering at the facility following the successful operation.