20.07.2025 14:43
A 3-year-old girl living in Istanbul lived for months with 66 magnetic beads in her stomach and intestines. The child was hospitalized and was saved after a critical 5-hour surgery.
3-year-old Berfin, one of the 4 children of Mahmut and İsmigül Nesim living in Istanbul, lived for months with 66 magnetic beads in her stomach and intestines. The little girl, who was hospitalized with complaints of nausea and vomiting, was saved by a critical 5-hour surgery. Opr. Dr. Mehmet Çakmak from the Pediatric Surgery Clinic of Çam and Sakura City Hospital stated that Berfin's case is the most shocking case they have encountered so far, with a record number of magnetic beads. Emphasizing that colorful magnets are a death trap for small children, Çakmak said, "We encounter these cases every month; the sale of these so-called toys must be urgently banned."
HOSPITALIZED WITH COMPLAINTS OF NAUSEA AND VOMITING
Berfin, the third child of Mahmut and İsmigül Nesim, was taken to the hospital last winter with complaints of nausea and vomiting. Initially thought to be related to a seasonal outbreak, the little girl was treated with medication and recovered. However, after the complaints recurred last month, the family applied to the Emergency Department of Çam and Sakura City Hospital. An X-ray revealed foreign objects resembling beads in her stomach and intestines. While the family thought their daughter had swallowed a necklace or bracelet, doctors suspected magnetic beads. The child was admitted for observation, and it was expected that she would pass the foreign objects through stool. However, when it was understood that the objects remained stationary, the seriousness of the situation was realized with the help of a program that can detect magnetism. It was determined that the objects she swallowed were magnetic beads, and Berfin was urgently taken for surgery, where 66 magnetic beads were removed from her digestive system in a 5-hour operation conducted by the Pediatric Surgery and Gastroenterology teams together. During the endoscopy, 3 perforations and adhesions were detected in the stomach and 2 in the intestines. According to information obtained, the beads, which are thought to have been in her body for about 7 months, had glued her organs together and caused serious damage. The beads were removed, and the perforations were repaired using laparoscopic methods. Father Mahmut Nesim stated that the sale of beads sold as toys should be banned, saying, "This is not a toy; it is a death trap."
'SWALLOWING MULTIPLE MAGNETS IS AN EMERGENCY'
Pediatric Surgery Specialist Opr. Dr. Mehmet Çakmak, who was part of the team that performed the surgery on little Berfin, said, "She is a 3-year-old girl. She came to the emergency room with complaints of nausea and vomiting. The X-ray showed a large number of foreign objects resembling beads in her abdomen. The family thought she had swallowed more beads or something like a bracelet. When we looked at the image, it resembled the cases of swallowing magnetic beads that we have been encountering very frequently lately. Therefore, we admitted her for observation; however, we were not 100% sure. When plastic or stone-like beads are swallowed, we usually monitor them first; we do not consider surgery because the chances of passing them through stool are quite high. However, swallowing multiple magnets is an emergency situation. Because it has the potential to cause adhesions and perforations in the stomach and intestines. We realized through a program that this was a magnetic object and took the patient for surgery," he said.
'STUCK IN HER STOMACH AND INTESTINES FOR MONTHS'
Çakmak explained that they entered the surgery together with gastroenterologists, noting that 34 magnetic beads were removed from the stomach, and continued: "During the endoscopy, we saw that there were three perforations in the stomach. Then we proceeded to the surgical part. In the stomach, we identified three places where there was a fistula due to adhesions and perforations, which had formed where the small intestine joined. Similarly, there were two perforations at the beginning of the large intestine where it connects with the small intestine, and the intestines had adhered to each other. These were long-term adhesions; the magnetic beads had been stuck together in the stomach and intestines for about 6-7 months. We removed a total of 66 magnetic beads. We repaired the perforated organs laparoscopically."
'CAN STICK ORGANS TOGETHER AND BE FATAL'
Dr. Çakmak noted that magnetic beads stick to organs insidiously without showing many symptoms when swallowed, saying, "Generally, when they come to the hospital with other complaints, they are detected in the X-ray and referred for surgery. The first is the pyloric valve at the exit of the stomach, and the second is the ileocecal valve, which is where the small intestine connects to the large intestine. Because this is where the magnetic beads separate from each other. The most critical point for us is there. When part of it is in the stomach and part has passed into the small intestine, the magnets attract each other again in a short time and stick the stomach and intestine together. When passing through that valve, part of it goes into the large intestine while part remains in the small intestine. This causes the small intestine and the large intestine to stick together. For example, food that should pass from the stomach to the duodenum goes directly into the large intestine. The contents of the stomach or intestines can spread into the abdominal cavity and even lead to the patient's death. It is a very risky situation," he said.
'SALES SHOULD BE BANNED, INTERNAL ORGANS ARE PERFORATED'
Dr. Çakmak also pointed out that applications regarding magnetic beads have significantly increased recently, concluding his remarks with the following warnings: "In our hospital alone, we have encountered foreign body ingestion or magnet swallowing in almost 3-4, sometimes 5 cases per month. These patients undergo very serious surgeries. Repairing several organs at the same time poses a significant risk. Because if there is any leakage in the repaired areas, it threatens the patient's life. The more beads the patient has swallowed, the greater the risk. So far, this was the case with the highest number of magnetic beads I have encountered in my experience. We removed 66 beads. As pediatric surgeons, we want the sale of magnetic beads as toys to be banned. Because patients undergo very serious surgeries, and there is a life-threatening situation. Internal organs are perforated."
'NOT A TOY, A DEATH TRAP'
Berfin's father, Mahmut Nesim, stated that they first went to the hospital last winter with complaints of vomiting, but after being treated for what was thought to be a seasonal outbreak, Berfin returned to her normal life after the complaints ceased. Nesim said, "10 days ago, she started having complaints of vomiting again. We brought her here, and they took an X-ray. We were shocked when we saw it. There were beads like necklaces and bracelets. At first, we thought she had swallowed her sister's necklace or bracelet. Initially, a follow-up decision was made, believing that it would be passed with medication. However, during the follow-ups, it was determined that the objects did not move from their place, and through a program, it was identified that they were magnetic magnets. Indeed, there were toy magnets left by her brother that we had kept. We had no idea when she found and swallowed them. She didn't have any serious complaints either. Then she was urgently taken for surgery. She has been operated on in 10 places in her stomach and intestines. We couldn't believe it; we were in shock. These are sold as toys.
As we also consider it a toy, we can buy it for our children. His older brother saw it at a neighbor's house and wanted it, so we bought it for him. According to our research, there are many such cases. There have been children who lost their lives. Thank God our child survived. This cannot be a toy; its sale as a toy must be banned. This cannot be a toy; this is a death trap," he said.