A mini gold bar. Not related to this article. [Herald DB]
A mini gold bar. Not related to this article. [Herald DB]

A 5-year-old girl in China accidentally swallowed a 50-gram gold bar while playing at home. The bar lodged in her stomach for several hours before doctors removed it safely in just a few minutes using an endoscope.

According to the South China Morning Post on Friday, the incident occurred Sunday in Beijing, when the girl swallowed a small gold bar while playing indoors and was rushed to Beijing Children's Hospital, affiliated with Capital Medical University.

After realizing what had happened, the family took the child to several nearby hospitals, but none was equipped to perform emergency endoscopic removal of a foreign object.

Doctors at the larger hospital ultimately confirmed through an X-ray that the gold bar remained lodged inside the girl's stomach.

The bar measured about 5 centimeters in length and weighed 50 grams.

The child was in critical condition. Medical staff determined that the bar posed a serious risk because of its hardness, high density and smooth surface, which made it likely to become stuck in the digestive tract. Had it damaged the stomach lining or gastrointestinal mucosa, it could have led to severe complications including perforation or heavy bleeding.

Doctors used a surgical endoscope to locate the bar, which was lodged in a dangerously narrow space where even a minor misstep could have injured the digestive tract lining. They then carefully grasped the bar with a snare and extracted it.

The procedure was completed successfully in just a few minutes. The girl has since stabilized and is recovering.

The story drew widespread reaction online in China. "How wealthy does a family have to be for a child to be playing with a gold bar?" one user wrote. Others called the girl "a gold monster on two legs," while some took a more serious tone: "Responsible parents always watch their children and keep dangerous objects out of reach."

China Pick
China Pick

jshan@heraldcorp.com