Surgeons remove dozens of magnets from teen's stomach
www.cbsnews.com

... A 13-year-old boy was hospitalized after eating dozens of high-powered magnets, according to a recently published case report in the New Zealand Medical Journal. The boy lost part of his bowel as a result, doctors wrote.

The boy, who was not identified in the case report, ate between 80 and 100 magnets. The "high-power" magnets were 5x2 millimeters each, the report said.

After eating the magnets, the teen had general abdominal pain for four days. When he arrived at the hospital, he told doctors he had eaten the magnets about a week earlier. The hospital he was treated at was not identified in the report.

The case report did not say if the boy explained why or how he ate the magnets.

Eating multiple magnets can be incredibly dangerous because they can clamp together inside the body and cause organ damage or other complications. Patients who eat multiple magnets often need surgical intervention, according to the report. High-powered magnets, which are often sold as desktop toys for adults, are particularly risky. They can be five to 10 times stronger than traditional refrigerator magnets, CBS News reported in 2019. ...