Purim Wonders:
A 13-year-old girl swallowed a sewing pin while working on her costume.
At Hadassah, it was successfully removed from her stomach!
Thank goodness it’s not Purim every day:
A teenage girl who was sewing her Purim costume accidentally swallowed a sewing pin and was rushed to Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem.
An urgent endoscopic procedure was performed to extract the pin from her stomach, preventing potential damage to her digestive system.
Dr. Liron Birimberg-Schwartz, a pediatric gastroenterology specialist and medical director of the Organoid Center at Hadassah, was called in from home on Saturday night for the emergency case involving the 13-year-old girl.
Her parents brought her to the Pediatric Emergency Room at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem after she accidentally swallowed the pin while sewing her costume with a sewing machine. She had briefly placed the pin in her mouth for convenience — and within seconds, it was inhaled and swallowed.
“The girl arrived accompanied by her parents, complaining of a sore throat but otherwise stable,” described Dr. Birimberg-Schwartz.
“She explained what had happened, and Dr. Saar Hashavia, Head of the Pediatric ER, who was on duty, immediately ordered an X-ray. The imaging raised suspicion that the pin had reached the stomach, and that’s when I was called in to handle the case. We were concerned the pin might get stuck in the digestive tract or settle in a location where it could cause harm,” she explained.
“After discussing with the parents, we decided to move the sweet girl to the operating room for an endoscopy, hoping to retrieve the pin while it was still accessible — before it moved deeper into the digestive system, making it more difficult to reach.”
“Under full anesthesia and with the help of Dganit Daniel-Avdar, head nurse of the Adult Gastroenterology Unit, we began the procedure. We located the pin, which had a red bead at one end, and using specialized equipment, we safely removed it without causing any damage to the stomach or esophagus.”
Dr. Birimberg-Schwartz emphasized that quick intervention was key to avoiding complications or the need for a more invasive surgery.
“If the foreign object settles in a place that’s hard to access or already begins to damage tissue, treatment becomes much more complex and the risk of serious injury increases.”
“At the Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit at Hadassah, we see many cases of swallowed objects — and not just among infants,” she noted. “Teenagers, children, and even adults can find themselves in this situation. It only takes a second, and it can happen to anyone! That’s why I constantly stress how dangerous it is to hold any object in your mouth — even a pin used by women who wear headscarves. We need to raise awareness. It’s absolutely essential to avoid this — even if it’s ‘just for a second’ or your hands are full. It’s unnecessary and leads to incidents that, unfortunately, must be resolved at the hospital.”
Dr. Hashavia, Head of the Pediatric ER, also underscored:
“Every case of swallowing a foreign object requires urgent evaluation, but swallowing sharp items, batteries, or magnets demands especially urgent attention. Immediate medical assessment is necessary, even if the child has no symptoms.”
The girl and her parents were discharged the next day, expressing deep gratitude to the medical team for their swift and resourceful response that prevented major harm.
“The care we received from both the ER and pediatric gastro teams was dedicated, quick, kind, and highly professional,” said the parents. “We are incredibly thankful.”
Photos:
Dr. Birimberg-Schwartz
The retrieved pin
Photo credit: Hadassah Spokesperson