Surgeons in Hapur, India, removed 29 steel spoons, 19 toothbrushes, and two pens from a man’s stomach in what doctors called one of the most extraordinary cases in recent memory.
The Times of India reports that the patient, a resident of Bulandshahr, had been admitted to a de-addiction centre in Ghaziabad about a month earlier and was rushed to the hospital after he complained of severe abdominal pain.
An ultrasound scan showed numerous metallic objects inside his stomach, prompting an emergency operation led by Dr. Shyam Kumar.
“The surgery was as complex as it was rare. An ultrasound scan revealed multiple metallic objects inside the man’s stomach, leaving doctors with no choice but to operate immediately.
“The team had to carefully remove the items one by one to prevent injury to vital organs.
“Dr Shyam Kumar described the moment as “shocking” because of the sheer number of items. Yet, despite the risks, the operation was successful.”
He has since been discharged and is reported to be stable and recovering.
According to the report, he later told doctors he felt mistreated and deprived of food at the rehabilitation centre, which left him frustrated and desperate.
“He said he had felt mistreated and deprived of food at the de-addiction centre, which left him angry and helpless. In his agitation, he began swallowing objects to harm himself, a desperate act of self-injury,” the report read.
The Hindustan Times recalled a similar incident in 2022 in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, where doctors recovered 63 spoons from a patient. That man, identified as Vijay, was reportedly a drug addict who had been admitted to a de-addiction centre and had been eating spoons for about a year.
The paper also reported that in 2019, doctors in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, removed spoons, screwdrivers, toothbrushes, a kitchen knife, and a door latch from the stomach of a man suffering from a major mental disorder.
