Three-year-old child swallowed 10 magnets and died in Kostanay

Tengrinews.kz - A boy from Rudniy swallowed 10 magnets and was taken to the Kostanay Regional Children's Hospital, where he later passed away, according to "Алау.”
The publication cites information from Igor Belobrzhitsky, head of the surgical department at the hospital.
According to the doctor, the three-year-old child with 10 magnets in his stomach was brought to the hospital on July 7. The boy was immediately hospitalized.

"An endoscopy was performed, and we discovered magnets in the stomach. Under anesthesia, we removed six magnets and then examined the abdominal cavity with laparoscopy. After that, we repeated the endoscopy and removed the seventh magnet," Belobrzhitsky said.

He explained that the remaining three magnets were no longer in the stomach; they had moved to the intestine. Removing them would require surgery.

"From the 9th to the 10th of July, the child was in good condition and was playing, but on the morning of the 10th, his condition worsened. During surgery, perforation and peritonitis caused by the magnets were discovered. All the magnets were removed, but after the surgery, the child's heart stopped due to shock," Belobrzhitsky said.

The boy was transferred to the intensive care unit, where resuscitation efforts were carried out for an hour.

"After the operation, the child suffered a second cardiac arrest and passed away on the afternoon of the 10th. The examination confirmed that the cause of death was shock, not the magnets or peritonitis. This is a tragedy, and we are also grieving the loss," the doctor said.

The publication reported that the parents have contacted the police, and the doctors have already provided explanations.
In turn, the child's mother, Anna Agarkova, decided to share her version of what happened. They went to the hospital in Rudniy on July 7 after her son swallowed the magnets. The doctor said that the magnets should pass on their own if they don’t stick together. The mother and son then went to the hospital in Kostanay, where they had surgery, but they were unable to remove all the magnets at once.
Photo provided by mom, Anna Agarkova

"In the morning of July 9, there was a medical round. After examining my son, the doctor said that they would give him an enema. The X-ray also showed three magnets stuck together. The doctors said that surgery wasn't necessary, even though they could have performed it," said the mother.

In the evening, the child developed a fever. By night, the temperature rose again.

"On July 10, Sasha had diarrhea, and the fever spiked again. The doctors said that the perforation was not a major concern. After that, his hands became swollen and cold, and a purple pattern appeared on his calves," the mother recalled.

The woman was informed that the magnets had been removed, but her child's heart had stopped. She believes that if the surgery had been performed immediately, her son would still be alive, and she disagrees with the previously published statements from the doctors.