Annually, hundreds of children in Romania arrive at the hospital after swallowing all kinds of objects. Especially balls, small parts of toys, coins or cosmetic accessories. Doctors sound an alarm and say there are cases where the consequences are devastating.
Many children reach the operation because of the objects swallowed photo archive
More and more parents in Romania neglect the labels on recommended toys or are not attentive to what their children are playing. At least this seems to indicate a phenomenon present for several decades in Romania and which becomes an increasing magnitude. It is about the large number of children who arrive at the hospital after swallowing different objects. Apparently, a matter resolved by the natural elimination from the digestive tract, through the intestines, the ingestion of foreign bodies can mutilate a child for life.
Only in Botosani County, there are hundreds of children who reach emergencies annually after swallowing balls, parts of toys, dice, hair accessories, jewelry, batteries or screws. Only in 2020, at the Pediatrics section of the “Mavromati” County Hospital in Botosani, there were around 245 cases. In many situations, surgery is needed. There are also cases in which the little ones lose part of the intestines, especially if it is a condimentant bodies. Most cases occur when children play with objects or toys unfit for their age.
Children who arrived at the operation due to curiosity or social networks
The growing number of children who arrive at the hospital after swallowing objects causes doctors to carry out a campaign, in Botosani County, to inform the population and to warn the parents about risks. “There are enough cases. At one point we wanted to make a campaign in the county, to inform the population about these risks”says Simona Baniciuc, chief doctor of the surgery section at the Children’s Hospital in Botosani. Children swallow a wide variety of objects. Some, very small and unrelated, can be eliminated by the intestinal tract. Others, such as hair clips, metal parts or sharp edges can have a devastating effect.
“If I reach the stomach, it is a happy case, they can be extracted. They can remain in the upper area of the digestive tract. It is again happy, because our colleagues in the ENT section help us. But we also have situations where those objects can be aspirated in the lung or that end up to a certain level that exceeds us as a hospital and then we send to a hospital.”says Simona Bordiciuc. In most cases it is about young children, up to 3-4 years old. But there are cases of older children or even teenagers. In the case of adolescents, it is mainly challenges on social networks.
“There is no particular age. In general, they are the little ones who are very curious, are attracted to colorful, little things and ingest them. But now, with the new challenges that everyone knows, promoted on social networks, we have surprises and in older patients. There are tragic cases that have come to foreign bodies.”adds the Botosanian doctor. Last year, a 4 -year -old girl from Corni, Botosani County, swallowed a 50 -money coin. In 2023, another little girl, also 4 years old, swallowed a 10 -money coin, needing an emergency transfer to Iasi.
The toy that can lead to the loss of the intestine
The surgeon at the hospital in Botosani says that among the most dangerous toys for a small child are magnetic balls. They can be swallowed quickly and ravage into the body. “We advise the population not to buy, for small children, those magnetic balls that can be ingested. We had a case with 11 balls swallowed, a colleague had a case with a larger number of balls swallowed. They all reached surgery. Usually, surgery opened through the minimum,”says the doctor Simona Baniciuc. There are also very serious cases in which the balls reach the intestine. Then the child bears loses part of the large intestine.
“Some of them unfortunately reach the intestinal resection with anostomosis. That is, losing a piece of intestine. By the top, down, the perforated necrosis occurs, but it becomes distertilized, that is, it will never live in the body, and then it must be removed and made suture. clearly damaged seriously ”completes the Botosanian doctor.
