by Suman Gupta
New Delhi, 19th November 2024: Recently, doctors at HCMCT Manipal Hospital saved a 2-year-old child with mercury poisoning following the accidental ingestion of mercury from a broken thermometer. The child was brought to the hospital after the thermometer broke in his mouth. Initially, there were no visible signs of abdominal pain or vomiting, making it difficult to assess the extent of mercury ingestion. The child was initially managed conservatively with laxatives under close observation, as the exact amount of mercury ingested was unknown. All routine tests, including serum and urine mercury levels, were conducted. However, despite the use of laxatives, an abdominal X-ray revealed a substantial amount of mercury spread throughout the bowel, posing significant health risks.
After 48 hours with no improvement in mercury clearance, Dr. Sufla Saxena, Head of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and her team proceeded with an urgent colonoscopy. During the procedure, mercury was located throughout the large bowel and at the tip of the appendix. A comprehensive bowel lavage was conducted (a procedure that involves flushing out the large intestine with liquid to clean it) to flush out the mercury from the colon. The procedure went well, and the child was discharged the very next day. A follow-up X-ray confirmed that the mercury was fully cleared, eliminating the need for chelation therapy. This timely intervention successfully prevented the potential dangers of mercury toxicity.
Commenting on the case, Dr. Sufla Saxena, Head of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka said, “Acute or chronic mercury exposure can cause adverse effects during any period of development. Mercury is a highly toxic element and can have devastating effects on critical organs such as the heart, central nervous system, and kidneys. With early diagnosis and opting for the procedures at the right time, we were able to prevent the dangerous effects of mercury exposure and ensure the child’s recovery without complications. This case highlights the important role of timely and advanced pediatric care in managing toxic exposures.”
About Manipal Hospitals: As a pioneer in healthcare, Manipal Hospitals is among the top healthcare providers in India serving over 7 million patients annually. Its focus is to develop an affordable, high quality healthcare framework through its multispecialty and tertiary care delivery spectrum and further extend it to out of hospital care. With the completion of acquisition of Medica Synergie hospitals and AMRI Hospitals Limited (acquired in Sept 2023), the integrated network today has a pan-India footprint of 37 hospitals across 19 cities with 10,500+ beds, and a talented pool of 5,600+ doctors and an employee strength of over 18,600.
Manipal Hospitals provides comprehensive curative and preventive care for a multitude of patients from around the globe. Manipal Hospitals is NABH, AAHRPP accredited and most of the hospitals in its network are NABL, ER, Blood Bank accredited and recognized for Nursing Excellence. Manipal Hospitals has also been recognised the most respected and patient recommended hospital in India through various consumer surveys.
