Doctors remove a 3-cm-long nail from a worker's body
Doctors at Ruijin Hospital removed a 3-centimeter-long gun nail from the stomach of a worker recently.
On September 23, the worker, who works as a decorator, accidentally shot the nail into his own body. He was taken to a nearby hospital for emergency care.
Due to the high risk involved, doctors were unable to remove the nail, but they were able to patch up the hole it had caused in the intestine.
The nail was stuck in the lumber space, nearly blocking a major blood vessel and posing a danger to his life.
The 3-centimeter gun nail that is removed from the body of a worker.
While the wound healed, the worker lived with the nail inside his body, unable to bend and feeling excruciating discomfort while walking.
He sought treatment at Ruijin Hospital.
After a CT scan revealed the nail, doctors opted to proceed with surgery.
"The surgery had to be done quickly because the nail was edging closer to the artery," said Dr Zang Lu of Ruijin's gastrointestinal surgery department.
"It was also a complicated surgery. We performed a complete CT scan with over 5,000 photos to precisely evaluate the nail's surrounding tissues and worked out surgical procedures with the participation of experts from several departments," Zang said.
Experts from gastrointestinal surgery, orthopaedics, and urology participated in the surgery. The nail was successfully removed.
"We completed this rare and timely surgery thanks to the collaboration of various departments. If the patient had delayed for a few days, it could have been fatal. He is now recovering well and does not require any additional treatment," Zang said.
The CT scans located the position of the nail.
