Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
These images show a toddler who ripped five holes in her stomach after swallowing over three dozen magnetic balls.
The three-year-old, whose name has not been given, was taken to hospital on 27th November after complaining of severe stomach pains.
Medics at Hunan Children’s Hospital in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province in Central China, were shocked to discover a string of magnetic beads lodged in her stomach.
A scan from the hospital shows the Buckyballs having attracted one another inside her stomach and formed a bracelet-like loop.
The tot had surgery the following day to have 37 of the magnetic spheres removed, with doctors finding that her stomach had been punctured in five places as a result of the toys.
Further work was done to patch up her fragile digestive organ, the hospital said. It is unclear if she has now been discharged from hospital.
The girl’s family members revealed that the Buckyball toys belonged to her brother, 12, who received them as a birthday gift.
She is believed to have swallowed them while at home alone when her brother was at school and her parents went out shopping.
It is unclear, however, how long it took her to swallow all 37 of the magnets.
Doctor Li Yong has warned parents of the dangers of Buckyballs, saying the spheres’ strong magnetism means they can attract each other from a distance of up to 10 centimetres (four inches).
While many can be passed out of the body with stool, others end up pinching the walls of the stomach or intestines, causing perforation and leading to serious, life-threatening infections, he added.
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