A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand had to undergo surgery after swallowing a significant number of neodymium magnets, estimated to be between 80 and 100. The incident occurred about a week prior to his admission to Tauranga Hospital, where he reported experiencing severe abdominal pain for four consecutive days.
According to a report by the New Zealand Medical Journal, the magnets, each measuring 5x2mm, were purchased from the e-commerce platform Temu. It is noteworthy that these types of magnets have been banned in New Zealand since January 2013 due to safety concerns.
Medical imaging conducted at the hospital revealed that the magnets had formed four distinct lines within the boy”s intestines. The report indicated that these magnets appeared to have adhered to separate sections of the bowel because of their magnetic properties. This unusual alignment created intense pressure within the digestive tract, ultimately leading to necrosis, or tissue death, in four areas of the small intestine and in the caecum, which is part of the large intestine.
Surgeons at the hospital successfully removed the damaged tissue along with the magnets during the operation. Following an eight-day recovery period in the hospital, the boy was discharged and is currently in stable condition.
In response to the incident, Temu expressed its concern and sympathy regarding the boy”s hospitalization. The company issued a statement saying, “We are sorry to learn of the boy”s surgery. We have launched an internal review and contacted the authors of the New Zealand Medical Journal report to gather more details.”
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers associated with small magnetic items, especially when misused or ingested.
