Sermo Blog: Highlights from the MD community

Unusual Foreign Bodies Removed From Patients

Originally Posted to the Sermo Community
By: An Anesthesiologist on Sermo

This weekend I had an unusual case. The urologist wanted to remove a crochet needle from a 23 year old female's bladder. Yes, a crochet needle, the type with the little hook on the end. It was bright green and easy to find. Got there by "accident".

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Poll Results

We got to discussing the most unusual objects removed from a patient. The list included lightbulbs, carrots, flashlights and gerbils.

What is your most unusual object removed from a patient?

Response from a Pathologist: "Large zucchini (rectum). The spiral from a spiral-bound notebook (male urethra). Pencil (male urethra). Cigarette lighter (stomach)."

Response from a Family Physician: "Small (5-6mm) seashell removed from a lung on bronchoscopy about 1 year after visiting a beach and sucking in too much sea water trying to surf."

Response from a Urologist: "Real string of pearls knotted in bladder. (50 yo diabetic and his mother's pearls)."

Response from a Urologist: "At our hospital recently the general surgeons removed from the stomach a bound and gagged barbie doll that the patient had swallowed."

Response from a Anesthesiologist: "I was called in by a General surgeon for a little boy who had swallowed two small toy dogs when asked why he had swallowed two his reply so the first wouldn't be alone!"

Response from an Allergist & Immunologist: "I once retrieved a plastic helicopter from a child's nose."

Response from an Ophthalmologist: "Firecracker and gunpowder particles which had to be microscopically removed from a boys cornea after he had placed the explosive in a bicycle handle; and when it did not explode immediately, he took a peek!"

Response from an Ophthalmologist: "While an intern on the general surgery, service assisted in removing an open safety pin from the esophagus of a resident at the local psych hospital. Two weeks later we repeated the effort on first resident's room mate who just wanted a change of scenery. Second patient was a bit more challenging in that a small esophageal perforation that was missed at surgery went on to become a tension pneumothorax at 3:00 am while I was on call. First time I ever inserted a chest tube in an actual emergency setting."

Response from a General Surgeons: "5 pens, 2 permanent markers, 3 straws, 2 toothbrushes, 4 Oreo cookie wrappers. All at the same time from the stomach of a patient."

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