Medical examinations undergone by a Chinese man revealed the presence of multiple metal objects inside his body, the most dangerous of which was a 3.6-centimeter-long sewing needle that had pierced the membrane surrounding the heart and lodged inside the left ventricle, in an extremely rare medical case.
According to a case report published in the journal “BMC Cardiovascular Disorders,” the 35-year-old patient, who has an intellectual disability, arrived at the hospital with normal vital signs and no heart-related symptoms.
A chest X-ray showed an unusual shadow over the heart, before a CT scan revealed the presence of metal objects in various parts of the body, including the abdominal wall, pelvis, bladder, hip bone, and penis.
The most dangerous of these objects was found to be a needle that had pierced the fluid-filled membrane surrounding the heart, with its sharp tip extending into the left ventricle, which is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body.
The examination also showed enlargement of the left ventricle and early signs of impaired function, prompting doctors to perform surgery out of concern that the needle could move or cause bleeding, rupture, or infection. During the operation, the medical team discovered that the needles that had pierced the bladder wall were covered with stone-like deposits.
The doctors decided to remove the heart needle first due to the risk of bleeding, with the remaining metal objects to be extracted later. The patient recovered well after the operation, while the reason the needles had entered his body remained unknown, as neither he nor his family members were able to identify their source.
Doctors suspected that the needles may have been inserted intentionally as part of self-harming behavior, particularly since the patient had undergone surgery two years earlier to remove two needle-like objects from his abdomen. The study noted that foreign objects inside the heart may not cause obvious symptoms, making them more difficult to detect, especially in patients from whom an accurate medical history cannot be obtained.
United News Network – UNN Arabic
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Author: Counselor Faisal Al-Mutairi.
Publication Date: September 13, 2026.
Updated: September 2026.
