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Doctors at AIIMS Delhi have successfully extracted a needle embedded in the left lung of a seven-year-old boy using a magnet, the hospital announced on Saturday.
The intricate endoscopic procedure was performed by the Department of Paediatric Surgery due to the needle’s deep location within the lung and the limited space available for surgical instruments.
The boy was admitted to AIIMS in a critical condition after experiencing coughing with bleeding. Radiological investigations revealed a long sewing machine needle lodged deep in his left lung, according to Dr. Vishesh Jain, Additional Professor in the Department of Paediatric Surgery.
To facilitate the procedure, Dr. Jain sourced a magnet, measuring 4 mm in width and 1.5 mm in thickness, from a contact in Chandni Chowk market the same evening. The needle was deeply embedded, making traditional methods almost ineffective.
A specialized instrument was devised to securely affix the magnet to the needle’s location without the risk of dislodging it into the trachea. The team carefully inserted the magnet-tipped instrument through an endoscopy of the windpipe, coaxing the needle out of its concealed location using magnetic force.
The success of this innovative approach eliminated the need for more invasive chest and lung surgery. The family could not provide any information about how the needle ended up in the child’s lung.
