Toddler ‘lucky to be alive’ after swallowing eight NEEDLES on his family’s farm that were meant for injecting animals

A two-year-old boy has been saved by doctors after he swallowed eight needles on a family farm.

The toddler, who was not named, was playing at the farm where his mother works near Tarapoto, Peru, when he swallowed the needles meant for injecting cows.

X-rays revealed all eight inside his digestive system, with two dangerously close to the rectum and bladder and at least one having damaged his small intestine.

Swallowing sharp objects is dangerous as these can puncture internal organs causing major bleeding and the leaking of digestive juices. 

Doctors said the boy was lucky and suffered no serious injuries from the needles. He was on a liquid-only diet for a few days to give his intestines time to heal.

The above scan shows the eight needles lodged inside the boy in Tarapoto, Peru. Two were dangerously close to his bladder and rectum

The boy is pictured above with his mother, Narly Olórtegui Pisco. He swallowed the needles while playing at the farm where she worked

The regional Government said in a statement: ‘Regarding the needles that her son ingested, the mother pointed out that it was an oversight by the owner of the farm where she works, as there are cattle there that are constantly attended to by a veterinarian.

‘So, she presumes the needles used on the cows were the cause of this accident that fortunately did not become serious.’

After the mother realized her boy had swallowed the needles, he was rushed to hospital II-2 on September 9 for treatment.

Scans revealed the eight needles inside the boy’s body, with two on the left side of his peritoneum — which lines the inside wall of the abdomen.

Another three were on the right side of the peritoneum, while one was in the abdominal wall, located just behind the peritoneum, and two were dangerously close to the rectum and bladder.

The eight needles were removed in a nearly two-hour operation by surgeon Efraín Salazar Tito.

Doctors said the boy then received treatment for a small lesion in his small intestine.

He was placed on a liquid-only diet for a few days to give his small intestine time to heal and was allowed to leave the hospital several days later.

The boy’s mother, Narly Olórtegui Pisco, thanked Doctor Salazar and his medical team for acting so quickly to remove the needles.

She said: ‘If it had not been for their timely surgical intervention, his health would have worsened and the outcome would have been different.’

Doctors did not reveal the boy’s symptoms, but in a previous case involving a 54-year-old woman who swallowed a sewing needle — the patient was described as feeling discomfort in her lower abdomen. She had no other symptoms.

Other symptoms patients may experience include pain, difficulty swallowing and gagging or choking if the needle gets stuck in the throat.

Medical journals say swallowing foreign objects is most commonly reported among children younger than three years old.

Coins and bones are the objects most commonly ingested, they said.

Normally, these are passed naturally, but there is a risk in the case of a thin and sharp object that it can puncture a part of the body such as the bowel.

If the object is too big to remove via an endoscopy, then doctors may have to operate.