3-year-old girl carried a 16cm long tree branch in her stomach for 4 months

Doctors at Children's Hospital 2 (HCMC) have just successfully performed surgery to remove a special foreign object, a 16cm long, 1cm diameter tree branch, that had been in the abdomen of a 3-year-old girl for more than 4 months.

The tree branch was removed by doctors - Photo: Provided by the hospital

According to Dr. Nguyen Hien - General Surgery Department, Children's Hospital 2 (HCMC), the patient is HML, 3 years old, living in Dak Lak . About four months ago, L. fell into a pond near his house. Relatives discovered him and took him to a local hospital for treatment for two months, then discharged him.

However, a month later, the child had a high fever and coughed a lot, was diagnosed with pneumonia and was hospitalized for nearly 30 days. During the ultrasound, the doctor discovered a strange mass in the abdomen, suspected to be a foreign object, so the child was immediately transferred to Children's Hospital 2 for treatment.

The CT scan results at Children's Hospital 2 surprised the medical team. In the baby's stomach, there was a foreign object shaped like a wooden stick, about 1x16cm in size, located from the rectum to the liver. Endoscopy determined that the foreign object had penetrated the rectum, small intestine and duodenum, causing inflammation and adhesions in many parts of the intestine.

The surgical team must perform open surgery, separate each segment of the stuck intestine, and release the foreign object without damaging blood vessels, nerves, ureters, and surrounding organs.

After four tense hours, the 16cm long branch was removed intact. The baby was stopped from bleeding, the wound was stitched up and a temporary anus was made.

"This was a very difficult surgery because the foreign object had been there for too long and the intestines were inflamed and adhered to a lot. Luckily, the branch did not hit a major blood vessel, so the child's life was not in danger. The patient is currently recovering well and is expected to be discharged in a week and will have his temporary anus closed after about a month," said Dr. Hien.

Doctors said this case was extremely rare. If a sharp foreign object remains in the abdomen for a long time, it can penetrate organs, causing severe infection and even leading to multiple organ failure. Notably, the child had been treated for aspiration pneumonia with broad-spectrum antibiotics, which inadvertently suppressed the infection caused by the foreign object, helping the patient overcome the dangerous stage.

According to doctors, foreign objects penetrating the anus in children are not unheard of, often occurring when children play or bathe in ponds, lakes, rivers and streams. However, a long and large tree branch remaining in the abdomen for four months and the patient still surviving is very rare.

From this case, Children's Hospital 2 recommends that parents pay special attention to supervising children when playing outdoors, especially during the rainy and stormy season, when trees can easily break and fall.

Children should never go near lakes, rivers, or streams without an adult present. Parents should also avoid letting children cross bridges or flooded roads that pose a risk of accidents.

"In household accidents, it is important that parents take their children to the nearest medical facility for a thorough examination to avoid missing potentially dangerous injuries," Dr. Hien emphasized.

THUY DUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/be-gai-3-tuoi-mang-canh-cay-dai-16-cm-trong-bung-suot-4-thang-20250930144446843.htm