Metro Health Hospital’s Endoscopy Team Prevents Tragedy After Needle Removed from Stomach
Metro Health Hospital’s Endoscopy Team Prevents Tragedy After Needle Removed from Stomach
A timely intervention in the early hours of the New Year, by medical personnel at the Metro Health Services in Kumasi was what saved the life of an 18-year-old student who had swallowed a 6.2 centimetre sewing needle. Source: Modern Ghana
The student told the medical staff at Metro Health Services that he hiccoughed and accidentally swallowed a needle he had put in his mouth while looking for a thread to do needle work. He was listed in stable condition aside from the abdominal pain he was experiencing. Modern Ghana
He was initially admitted at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), where an abdominal X-ray showed that the needle had gotten stuck in the upper portion of the stomach area. The student was referred to Metro Health Services for endoscopic removal of the needle because the endoscopy machine at KATH was not operational. Modern Ghana
According to Dr Phyllis Tawiah, who performed the procedure, interventions by gastrointestinal endoscopy are normally indicated for swallowed objects that are sharp, elongated, or where it is less likely to go beyond the stomach or cause serious injury in the attempt to move forward. The endoscopy machine allows you to pass a scope through the mouth for the upper organs, or through the anus to directly visualize lesions in the oesophagus, stomach, small and large intestines. Modern Ghana
The sewing needle, which was observed during endoscopy to be piercing the wall of the upper part of the student’s stomach with a third of it showing, was safely removed with the endoscope in a procedure that lasted about 25 minutes. Modern Ghana
Dr Tawiah stated that the student had a rare form of ingestion because the needle moved down the throat to the stomach without causing any injuries to the oesophagus. Modern Ghana
The student remained stable and was sent back to Komfo Anokye. Dr. Tawiah is the Medical Director at Metro Health Services at Abrepo Junction, Kumasi, where she oversees endoscopy procedures, extensive testing for the heart and lung such as ECG, Cardiac Stress Testing, Holter Monitor, Echocardiography and Lung Function Test. The facility also provides occupational health screening services (pre-school and pre-employment medical examination) as well as full women’s health services including Pap smear and Mammogram for cervical and breast cancer.
A timely intervention in the early hours of the New Year, by medical personnel at the Metro Health Services in Kumasi was what saved the life of an 18-year-old student who had swallowed a 6.2 centimetre sewing needle. Source: Modern Ghana
The student told the medical staff at Metro Health Services that he hiccoughed and accidentally swallowed a needle he had put in his mouth while looking for a thread to do needle work. He was listed in stable condition aside from the abdominal pain he was experiencing. Modern Ghana
He was initially admitted at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), where an abdominal X-ray showed that the needle had gotten stuck in the upper portion of the stomach area. The student was referred to Metro Health Services for endoscopic removal of the needle because the endoscopy machine at KATH was not operational. Modern Ghana
According to Dr Phyllis Tawiah, who performed the procedure, interventions by gastrointestinal endoscopy are normally indicated for swallowed objects that are sharp, elongated, or where it is less likely to go beyond the stomach or cause serious injury in the attempt to move forward. The endoscopy machine allows you to pass a scope through the mouth for the upper organs, or through the anus to directly visualize lesions in the oesophagus, stomach, small and large intestines. Modern Ghana
The sewing needle, which was observed during endoscopy to be piercing the wall of the upper part of the student’s stomach with a third of it showing, was safely removed with the endoscope in a procedure that lasted about 25 minutes. Modern Ghana
Dr Tawiah stated that the student had a rare form of ingestion because the needle moved down the throat to the stomach without causing any injuries to the oesophagus. Modern Ghana
The student remained stable and was sent back to Komfo Anokye. Dr. Tawiah is the Medical Director at Metro Health Services at Abrepo Junction, Kumasi, where she oversees endoscopy procedures, extensive testing for the heart and lung such as ECG, Cardiac Stress Testing, Holter Monitor, Echocardiography and Lung Function Test. The facility also provides occupational health screening services (pre-school and pre-employment medical examination) as well as full women’s health services including Pap smear and Mammogram for cervical and breast cancer.
