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Young boy lucky to be alive after swallowing 30 fridge magnets.

Doctors are warning parents of the dangers of leaving them within the reach of children after seeing a rise in admissions to hospital.

Noah Lefau, now 5, was three years old at the time he come frighteningly close to death after getting his hands on the tiny ball magnets, shares yahoo 7.

noah mf

“Mum rang at lunchtime saying, ‘He’s on the ground, curled up in pain’,” his mother Christelle Lefau, told 7 news.

Noah had been showing symptoms of gastro so the family were unsure when his first started feeling unwell.

An X-ray quickly revealed what was wrong.

“I thought maybe it’s the little silver balls you use in cake decorating,” Ms Lefau said.

“They said, ‘No, it’s metal’.”

Noah had dragged a chair over to the fridge where magnets had been placed up high and swallowed 30 of them.

“I must confess, I’ve never seen a kid swallow 30 magnets,” Dr Maurizio Pacilli, from Monash Children’s Hospital, said.

magnets

“They travel along the intestine and they are attracted to each other, trying to get together and by doing this, they create little holes inside the gut.”

It took medical staff six hours to remove the magnets.

“We had found 10 or 12 holes which we had to stitch one at a time, and we had to remove some parts of the intestine,” Dr Pacilli said.

While many parents are aware of the dangers of buttons and batteries, experts warn magnets can be just as deadly.

“A few simple tips for parents – have a look when buying toys, make sure any magnets are secure and if they do come loose, dispose of that toy immediately,” Kidsafe Victoria’s Jason Chambers said.

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  • A classic example of misleading heading
    The boy was 3 years old when he swallowed them. Take notice above – one heading says –
    Boy, 5, lucky to be alive after swallowing 30 magnets.

    Reply

  • Scary times for the parents – but thanks so much for the warning.

    Reply

  • So lucky he survived. Would have been a very anxious time for his parents

    Reply

  • How very scary

    Reply

  • We have these magnets at home, I’ll make extra sure they’re up and out of reach — I’m not worried about our Punks but I’m more thinking about visiting kids!

    Reply

  • Wow 30 magnets! That must be a record. I hope he makes a full recovery.

    Reply

  • So scary! 30 magnets?? And what about the holes the child now has in the gut? Will they close by themselves?

    Reply

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