A girl who was sewing her costume for the holiday accidentally swallowed the sewing pin she was using and was referred to Hadassah Ein Kerem.
Dr. Liron Birimberg-Schwartz, a pediatric gastroenterologist and medical director of the Hadassah Organoid Center, was called from her home last Saturday night to provide emergency care to a 13-year-old girl.
The girl was taken by her parents to the children's emergency room at Hadassah Ein Kerem after, while sewing her Purim costume on a sewing machine, she held the sewing pin in her mouth - intending to hold it for a few moments, and within seconds the pin was inhaled and swallowed.
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"The girl arrived accompanied by her parents, suffering from a sore throat but completely stable," said Dr. Birimberg-Schwartz. "She told what happened to her at home, and of course Dr. Saar Hashabiya, director of the pediatric emergency room (emergency room), who received her in the emergency room, decided to immediately perform an X-ray. The suspicion that arose following the scan was that the pin was located in the stomach, and then I was called to treat the case.
""Our concern, of course, was that the pin would get stuck in the digestive system," she explains, "and that its placement in a place where it would cause damage. After talking with the parents, we decided to transfer the sweet girl to the operating room for an endoscopy, with the idea of pulling out the pin while it was still within our reach and before it disappeared into the depths of the digestive system and became more difficult to reach if necessary.".
""Under full anesthesia and with the help of Deganit Daniel-Avder, head nurse of the adult gastroenterology unit, we began the procedure and found the pin that was observed with a red ball at one end. Using specialized equipment, the pin was removed without causing damage to the stomach or esophagus.".
The quick action, explains Dr. Birimberg-Schwartz, is to prevent complications and the need for more complex surgery. "If the foreign body is located in an area from which it cannot be removed or has already damaged any tissues, treatment is more challenging and the injury may also be more serious.
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Dr. Hashabiya, director of the pediatric emergency room at Hadassah, emphasized: "Any ingestion of a foreign body requires urgent attention, but ingestion of sharp objects, batteries, and magnets requires especially urgent attention and a medical evaluation should be sought as soon as possible, even if the child has no complaints following the ingestion.".
The girl and her parents were released after a day, thanking the medical team for their resourcefulness and quick diagnosis, which prevented major damage. "The treatment from the medical team - both at the ER and the pediatric gastroenterology team - was dedicated and relatively fast, pleasant and very professional! Our daughter and I are very grateful for that.".
