Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rajkot, successfully removed a sharp metal pin lodged in the small intestine of a 12-year-old girl through endoscopy on 16 October 2026, avoiding the need for open abdominal surgery. The child, a resident of Junagadh district in Gujarat, was discharged the day after the minimally invasive procedure with no reported complications.

How the Pin Was Discovered

The girl had accidentally swallowed the metal pin a few days before her family sought hospital care. She was initially taken to Junagadh Civil Hospital and subsequently to a private facility, where an X-ray revealed a metallic foreign body in the upper abdomen. Doctors at both earlier facilities referred the family to AIIMS Rajkot for specialised treatment.

At AIIMS Rajkot, the girl was assessed at the General Surgery outpatient department. Further imaging confirmed that the sharp metal pin had migrated to the duodenum — specifically the junction of its second and third portions, the first segment of the small intestine beyond the stomach. The location raised concern: prolonged retention of a sharp object at that site risked internal injury and serious complications.

The Endoscopy Procedure

A senior surgical team, supported by the hospital's anaesthesia unit, performed the endoscopy to retrieve the pin without making any abdominal incision. During the procedure, the medical team located the object and extracted it safely from the duodenum. The girl remained stable throughout, and no surgical cut was required.

Six hours after the procedure was completed, the child was placed on a liquid diet, which was gradually advanced to normal food as her recovery progressed. She was discharged the following day, with doctors confirming no post-procedure complications.

Medical Advice for Parents

Doctors at AIIMS Rajkot used the case to issue a broader advisory for parents. They cautioned that children frequently swallow small objects — including pins, coins, and toy parts — often without showing immediate symptoms, and that such incidents should never be dismissed as harmless.

Crucially, doctors warned against attempting to induce vomiting or trying to remove a swallowed object at home. Parents should seek prompt medical attention so that clinicians can determine the object's precise location through imaging and decide on the appropriate course of treatment.

AIIMS Rajkot confirmed that the hospital has dedicated endoscopy facilities capable of managing foreign-body ingestion cases, with treatment decisions made on the basis of each patient's clinical condition and specialist assessment.

Why Endoscopy Matters Here

Foreign-body ingestion in children is a relatively common paediatric emergency across India, but outcomes depend heavily on the speed of diagnosis and access to endoscopic intervention. Sharp metallic objects lodged in the duodenum carry elevated risk of perforation compared with blunt objects or those that clear the stomach. The successful non-surgical retrieval at AIIMS Rajkot underscores the growing role of advanced endoscopy in avoiding open procedures — particularly in paediatric cases where surgical risk is a significant concern. This case also highlights the value of tertiary-care referral networks in rural and semi-urban Gujarat, where local hospitals appropriately escalated care rather than attempting high-risk removal without specialised equipment.