An eight-month-old girl was rushed to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center after she swallowed a safety pin.
The child's parents heard her coughing and struggling to breath and saw that the hamsa (a palm-shaped amulet which is popular in the Middle East) which was hung over her crib was missing its safety pin.
At the hospital, the baby was quickly transferred for various tests, and the X-ray clearly showed the safety pin in the stomach area. The baby was rushed to an urgent endoscopic procedure to remove the pin before it could pierce her internal organs.
Dr. Zeev Davidovich, a specialist in pediatric gastroenterology, says: "A few days ago, an 8-month-old baby, who was completely healthy, was brought to us by her parents after they noticed that the safety pin on her hamsa that hung on the bed of their house had disappeared and they heard her coughing and choking."
''In an X-ray taken of her quickly, we clearly noticed an open safety pin in the baby's stomach area. There are a lot of dangers in ingesting foreign bodies and especially with sharp bodies. Our main concern was that the pin would puncture the internal organs and as a result, life-threatening complications could occur.
Dr. Davidovich explained: "We immediately brought the baby to an endoscopic procedure, in this procedure under general anesthesia, we entered through the baby's mouth with fiber optics and tiny equipment up to the stomach and gently and carefully removed the pin."
''We warn again and again, keep small objects away from the children's bed and their surroundings. Many parents hang a hamsa near their children and there is a great danger in this. Children develop quickly and a baby who has not reached out today will do so tomorrow and sometimes we will not even notice. You must not hang or place objects that are within reach of the toddler/baby at all in order not to endanger his life, even if we think it is far enough away," the senior doctor added.