Israeli Teen Undergoes Emergency Endoscopy After Swallowing Hijab Pin
A teenager in northern Israel swallowed a hijab pin while adjusting her head covering, requiring emergency endoscopy at Poriya hospital to safely extract it.
A 16.5-year-old teenager from northern Israel was recently admitted to the Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Poriya, after accidentally swallowing a sharp hijab pin she was holding between her lips while adjusting her head covering.
Emergency Endoscopic Procedure
Upon arrival, the young patient complained of mild abdominal discomfort but showed no acute distress. However, an X-ray revealed that the sharp pin had lodged deeply into the wall of her stomach.
"As long as the pin remained in place, natural contractions of the stomach muscle or any sudden movement by the patient could have deepened the penetration and caused a perforation of the organ," explained Dr. Shadi Artul, director of the pediatric gastroenterology unit.
Following hospitalization and a strict fast, follow-up imaging confirmed the pin had not moved. Dr. Artul and his medical team performed an urgent endoscopic procedure, successfully maneuvering specialized retrieval tools to safely extract the pin without complications.
Medical Warnings and Safety
Following the successful extraction and recovery, the teenager was discharged in good condition.
Doctors at the medical center emphasize that swallowing pins while adjusting head coverings is a known hazard. Ingesting sharp objects poses a severe risk to the gastrointestinal tract and can necessitate invasive surgery. Physicians strongly advise against holding pins in the mouth, recommending the use of pin cushions or stable surfaces instead.
