08/08/2025
Surgeons at Ndola Teaching Hospital remove shocking metal objects from patient’s stomach!
In a rare and extraordinary surgical procedure, a team of surgeons at Ndola Teaching Hospital has successfully removed an astonishing assortment of metallic foreign objects from the stomach of a 30-year-old male patient, in a case that has stunned even the most experienced medical professionals.
The patient, a resident of Ndola’s , was rushed to NTH after suffering severe abdominal pain and being unable to pass stool for an entire week. Following a medical assessment, the doctors ordered abdominal and chest X-rays and what they found was nothing short of shocking.
The scans revealed that the patient’s stomach and intestines were packed with numerous metallic objects, causing a dangerous obstruction and placing his life in immediate danger.
He was rushed to theatre, where the surgical team worked for more than three hours in a high-stakes operation to remove the items.
When the procedure was completed, the surgical table told the full story: among the extracted objects were 2 car spark plugs, 17 sharp wire pieces, one car key and two padlock keys, s 4 one-kwacha coins (including one lodged in the large intestine), 4 bolts, 1 female bra wire stabilizer, and a ring wire. The shocking collection was carefully laid out on a surgical cloth for documentation.
Some of the items had caused perforations in the stomach wall, with prolonged retention causing chronic gastric outlet obstruction
Many objects were also observed to be heavily corroded, suggesting they had been ingested over a long period of time.
“It’s not unusual to find foreign objects in a patient’s stomach, but this quantity and variety is something we hardly ever see this appears to have been a gradual ingestion over time.”Dr. Mushikita Songwe, one of the surgeons narrated.
Thanks to the quick thinking of the medical team and the skill of the surgeons, the patient survived. He is now in stable condition and undergoing further assessments
The skilled surgical and theatre team included: Surgeons: Dr. Ngoma Royd, Dr. Mushikita Songwe, and Dr. Muswala Dominic Anaesthetist: Dr. Kabamba Scrub Nurse: RN Kennedy Bijou, Runner: RN Beatrice Mulenga, Recovery Theatre Operating Nurse (RTON): Paul Kampinda
-Ndola Teaching Hospital Public Relations Department
