The Ingestion of 62 Magnetic Beads by a Two-Year-Old Child: A Case Report of a Novel Approach for Retrieval

The incidence of foreign body ingestion in young children has been increasing over the past couple of years. Although less than 1% of ingested foreign bodies require surgical intervention, the clinician's awareness should be heightened when the ingested body has a magnetic component. Potential complications of multiple magnetics include intestinal necrosis, perforation, ileus, and sepsis. This case study highlights the clinical presentation, surgical methods, anesthetic considerations, and the need for pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission in a two-year-old female child who ingested magnetic beads. The paper presents the patient's history, diagnosis, and surgical procedure, including the use of a novel magnetic apparatus to locate the foreign bodies. Clinicians should have a heightened sense of caution when treating children who have ingested multiple magnetic foreign bodies due to potential gastrointestinal complications and increased morbidity. The case describes the use of a novel approach in utilizing a pacemaker magnet to identify any remaining ingested magnetic foreign bodies in the bowel.