La Jolla Elementary School
Dear Parents,
 
 Over the weekend a Muirlands sixth grader presented to the emergency department and ultimately was admitted to Children's hospital because of swallowing a number of "magnet balls."  These small neodymium rare earth magnets are very powerful and typically come as small nickel plated balls
approximately 3-4 millimeters in diameter.  They can be formed into many shapes and even strung end to end in a necklace.  Apparently, some of the students have been "playing" with them and placing one on the top of the tongue, and one on the bottom of the tongue in order for it to appear as if
their tongue were pierced. Some students have been placing them on their braces way back in their mouths to avoid detection at school.

The problem is that in playing with them in this manner, some students have also been swallowing these magnets. Swallowing one or two at a time when they are stuck together is probably not too much of an issue, but the problem comes if multiple magnets are ingested at different times.  As these magnets traverse the intestine and lodge in different parts, they can attract each other across the intestinal wall, trapping the bowel between them, and cause obstruction and even perforation. There are many reports in the medical literature of just such occurrences and in most of the cases
surgery was required to remove the magnets and repair the intestine, and there have even been a couple of deaths reported.

If a young man or woman swallowed multiple magnet balls with intervals of hours or days between then they should see their doctor.  If abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or fever occurs in the setting of swallowing multiple magnets don't wait, go to the emergency department.  I thought it would be
wise to spread the word that these magnets should never be placed in the mouth or nose for any reason in order to avoid a possible ingestion, and some serious complications that can ensue.

Sincerely,
Stephen R. Hayden, MD, FAAEM FACEP
Professor of Clinical Medicine, UC San Diego
Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Emergency Medicine