Docs remove iron pieces from man's stomach

Ravinder Saini

Rohtak, May 14

A 26-year-old man got a new lease of life after a team of doctors at Pt BD Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) here removed iron nails, screws, multiple metallic objects and glass pieces from his stomach through endoscopy. The patient is now healthy.

26-year-old Gets new lease of life

PGIMS doctors claimed timely treatment saved the life of 26-year-old mentally unstable man. His condition was critical when he was brought to the hospital. He had severe abdominal pain and repeated vomiting last week.

Doctors claimed timely treatment saved the mentally unstable man’s life. His condition was critical when he was brought to the hospital. He had severe abdominal pain and repeated vomiting last week.

“The patient was initially treated at a district hospital where an X-ray test confirmed the presence of multiple radio-opaque objects and he was referred to the PGIMS. An endoscopy was performed which found multiple metallic items such as iron nail, three screws, one iron sheet and glass piece in his stomach,” said Dr Parveen Malhotra, Senior Professor and Head, Gastroenterology Department, PGIMS.

He said some of the objects were partially embedded, as the duration of ingestion was around 10 days. If one failed to remove them endoscopically, then surgery was the only option. The endoscopic removal of partially embedded foreign objects was not only difficult but also carried a high chance of perforation. Moreover, perforation could have also occurred while removing these kinds of multifaceted sharp metallic objects and glass pieces, when they have to transverse narrow parts of the oesophagus like upper and lower oesophageal sphincter, he added.

“In current practice, endoscopy has assumed an important place and in many instances it prevents vital surgery,” said Dr Malhotra.

He said the facility for all kinds of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures at PGIMS, Rohtak is free, without any waiting period and around 36,500 endoscopic procedures have been done till date.