Around China

Chongqing

Needle removed from boy's chest

A 12-year-old boy in Chongqing who had continuous coughing and a fever was found during an X-ray check to have a 5-cm-long embroidery needle embedded in his chest. Family members said the boy's grandparents may have left the needle in his bed, and the boy had rolled on to it in his sleep. Li Yong, a cardiothoracic surgery doctor at Chongqing Medical University Children's Hospital, said the rusty needle was only 3 to 4 cm away from the boy's heart and just 1 cm away from the aorta. This could have caused life-threatening infection, tetanus and massive hemorrhaging. The needle was removed last week and the boy is recovering.