Emergency room admissions for children swallowing magnets soar. CBS News (8/9, Castillo) reports a study the Annals of Emergency Medicine found a five-fold increase between 2002 and 2011 in the number of emergency room cases of children ingesting magnets. When more than one magnet is swallowed the intestinal walls can be pinched, leading to inflammation, ulceration, holes ripped in the intestines. Without treatment, “these conditions could lead to sepsis – a dangerous bodily response to bacteria – or death.” Furthermore, without seeing a child swallow a magnet, “it could be tough to tell what’s causing their illness,” as the symptoms “appear flu-like and include nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.”
Posted on: Fri, 09 Aug 2013 13:52:48 +0000
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