In recent days, social networks have been stirred up by an article by a woman from Ha Tinh reflecting on her child being hospitalized at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital due to swallowing a magnet.
According to the reflected content, the patient swallowed 3 magnets and was taken to the hospital for treatment. The family believes that the process of monitoring, surgery and post-operative care has some unclear issues, especially related to the number of foreign objects removed, the condition of the surgical wound and the attitude of some medical staff.
Attached to the post were images of the patient's surgical wound, causing many people to pay attention and leave comments criticizing the hospital.
On the afternoon of June 9, Dr. BSCKII Tang Xuan Hai - Director of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital said that the hospital had official information about the incident.
According to Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, patient L.D. H. K, born on November 10, 2021, was admitted to the General Surgery Department at 4:15 PM on May 3, 2026 on the grounds of swallowing a foreign object, a magnet.
The diagnosis upon admission was a gastrointestinal magnetic foreign object, in the small intestine, 3rd day. Through examination and X-ray, doctors determined that there were 2 locations of contrasting foreign objects in the small intestine.
The hospital said that the initial treatment direction is to continue monitoring the condition of the foreign object moving in the digestive tract so that the child can be excreted naturally, and at the same time monitor possible complications for timely treatment.
At 10:30 am on May 4, the patient showed symptoms of fever, abdominal pain and signs of intestinal damage. After consultation, the patient was diagnosed with a digestive foreign object causing intestinal damage and surgery was indicated.
During the surgery, the surgical team recorded 1 magnet located at the end of the small intestine, causing inflammation; the remaining 1 magnet was located in the colon. The surgical team decided to open the small intestine to remove the foreign object, while the magnet in the colon was not intervened, for natural elimination.
After surgery, the patient continued to be monitored for the overall condition, abdominal condition and the movement of the foreign object in the large intestine with ultrasound and X-rays on May 8 and 10.
By May 10, the foreign object moved to the end of the large intestine, preparing to go down to the anus. According to the hospital, the foreign object had gone out through the anus on May 12.
Regarding the image of the surgical wound posted by the family on social networks, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital said that this was an infectious surgery, with the indication of sparse sewing to create conditions for fluid drain. The surgical wound is in the process of treatment, not completely healed, so there is a swelling and little fluid leakage.
Regarding the family's reflection related to the spirit and attitude of the medical staff, the hospital said it is continuing to consider to have a handling plan.
Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital affirmed that the process of receiving, monitoring and treating the patient complies with professional procedures. However, the hospital also admitted that the explanation of medical staff at the General Surgery Department was not thorough, causing the family not to fully understand the patient's condition.
After the incident, the hospital organized a direct meeting with the family to explain. According to the hospital, after the meeting, the family understood and proactively removed the post on social networks.
