AIIMS doctors remove sewing needle from minor girl's back

Doctors at AIIMS here have successfully removed a two-inch sewing needle from the back of a 10-year-old girl that was left behind by her mother on a bed at home. Even though the girl complained that something had pierced into her back as she suffered from severe pain, her parents were not able to understand the exact reason behind it.

She was then rushed to the nearby Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, where an X-ray was done. It revealed a foreign object, which the parents identified as the needle which got embedded in her back, Dr Shilpa Sharma, a paediatric surgeon at AIIMS said. A surgery was performed there to remove it, but unfortunately the needle could not be traced during the surgery, the doctor said. As the pain got worse, the girl was referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Trauma Centre.

"The X-ray showed the needle in the back muscles. We decided to wait so that it becomes fixed to surrounding tissue and does not move during surgery. "We waited for two weeks and meanwhile the kid was under regular observation to ensure that the needle is still intact and in the same place. The risks included dislocation of the needle into any vital organ or vessel. It was very near the spinal canal but luckily there was no damage. An ultrasound was done to monitor the needle instead of repeated X-rays to avoid radiation to the child," Sharma explained.

The girl was operated on August 30. With palpation, the needle was traced deep inside. It was more than one-inch deep at the level of the spine bone on the left side, she said. "A special needle with markings was used to feel the needle. The needle had rusted inside the body and was friable. The eye (of needle) broke on touching. Luckily, the lower part of the needle was also in the grip and it was slide out carefully. There was no complication and the girl was discharged after a few hours," Dr Gyanendra Singh, neuroanaesthetist, said.

The girl is fine now and is able to carry out her day-to day activities, Dr Sharma said. She advised her parents to be careful with such items while doing their daily chores and also teach their children to take care of their surroundings.

-PTI

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