If a child swallows several magnets, they will stick to each other due to their attraction – and therefore can get stuck in the bowel loops. Result: they cannot be transported further and excreted from the body.

According to Schmitt, the intestinal mucosa can also be damaged. Due to the pressure of the magnets, the blood supply to these areas ceases to be good – the cells die. It becomes life-threatening if a hole forms between the inside of the intestine and the abdominal cavity.

Tell your doctor or nurse as soon as possible

To prevent this from happening, parents should seek medical attention as soon as possible if a child has swallowed magnets. Usually, X-rays are used to determine the number of magnets in the body.

Once the magnets are in the stomach, they can be removed with an endoscope. This is a long flexible rubber tube with a camera that is inserted into the stomach through the esophagus, naturally under general anesthesia. Since the endoscope itself is slightly magnetic, Schmitt says it attracts the guilty and thus prevents worse things from happening.
© dpa