Baby swallows 33 magnets

[Anchor]

In households with infants, there is always a concern that the baby might swallow foreign objects.

Recently, a 2-year-old child swallowed more than 30 magnetic beads and had to undergo emergency surgery at a university hospital.

Reporter Lee Yeon-gyeong has the story.

[Report]

This is an X-ray image of a 23-month-old baby's stomach.

Round objects about 5mm in diameter are forming a bracelet shape and are also lined up in a long strip.

The magnetic beads that the baby swallowed have entered the stomach.

The guardian rushed to the hospital when the baby was gagging while holding the magnets.

The medical staff suspected that the magnets might have stuck together, causing a hole in the organs, and performed emergency surgery.

[Yeon Hee-jin/Professor of Pediatric Surgery, Konyang University Hospital: "Due to the magnetism, inflammation can occur, holes can form, and pathways can develop, which can cause the baby to have abdominal pain, and in the worst case, sepsis..."]

A total of 33 toy magnetic beads were found in the baby's stomach.

In the past five years, there have been about 2,000 incidents each year of children under 14 swallowing foreign objects, averaging five cases per day.

More than half of these incidents occurred in infants aged 1 to 3 years.

Not only magnets but also coin-shaped batteries and small toys are easy to swallow, and if they cause holes in the organs or block the airways, it can be fatal.

[Han Seon-ah/Professor of Early Childhood Education, Mokwon University: "(It is most important to) keep small objects out of children's reach. Additionally, continuous educational stimulation that teaches them not to put anything in their mouths except for food is also necessary..."]

Experts urge that if it is suspected that a baby has swallowed a foreign object, one should seek medical attention without delay.

This is KBS News, Lee Yeon-gyeong.