Open Safety Pin with Charms Removed

The child was brought to the Emergency Medicine Department (ER) after her parents noticed that she had swallowed an open safety pin to which were attached charms "against the evil eye". An x-ray revealed the open safety pin lodged in the child's stomach which could have punctured the colon leading to severe hemorrhage and other life-threatening complications.

The infant was rushed to the operating room to undergo an endoscopy performed by Dr. Ari Silbermintz, Director of Endoscopy Services in the Institute of Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Liver Diseases headed by Prof. Raanan Shamir. The examination showed the open safety pin in the child's stomach, which required a skilled and delicate procedure to remove it. The team, comprising Dr. Silbermintz, anesthetist Dr. Aviv Tutenauer and Nurse Lilach Kravitz, performed a successful gastroscopy to extract the pin without causing any injury or collateral damage to the upper digestive tract.

Dr. Silbermintz noted that "sadly, we often see cases of foreign bodies swallowed by infants and toddlers - such as coins, batteries, pins and sharp items-  that could cause injury to the digestive tract and in some cases be fatal. Parents must pay close attention and move any small objects out of reach of children under the age of 5 in general and of infants and toddlers in particular. Placing a safety pin with charms of luck or against the evil eye in the infant's carriage or bed can cause significant harm to the child, rather than serving as a protective element."