Multiple magnet ingestion as a source of severe gastrointestinal complications requiring surgical intervention

Objective: To raise awareness of the dangers associated with magnet ingestion in children. Design: Case report and review of the literature. Setting: Tertiary care children's hospital. Patient: Four-year-old boy with minimal physical findings but with a clinical history and imaging suggesting complications from multiple magnet ingestion. Intervention: Laparoscopic removal of magnets and repair of magnet-induced enterotomies. Outcome Measure: Clinical course. Results: Full recovery after surgical intervention. Conclusions: Ingestion of multiple magnets can cause minimal initial physical examination findings but result in significant complications, including bowel perforation, volvulus, ischemia, and death. Early surgical intervention can prevent significant morbidity and mortality. Clinical vigilance should be exercised in these cases and early surgical consultation with an aggressive surgical approach is recommended. Parents should be warned against the dangers of children's toys that contain these powerful magnets.