Doctors remove 14 pens, spoons, candle from woman's stomach in India

Doctors at a private hospital in southern India were left stunned after they discovered and removed 20 unusual objects, including 14 pens, five wooden spoons and a candle, from the stomach of a woman.

The medical case was reported on September 5 at Matashree Private Hospital in Narasaraopet, in Andhra Pradesh’s Palnadu district, after the woman from Petlurivaripalem village was brought to the hospital by her family, complaining of chest pain and severe discomfort.

Upon the patient's arrival, doctors carried out diagnostic tests and discovered objects inside her stomach.

A surgical team led by Dr P Ramachandra Reddy subsequently performed a laparoscopic procedure to remove the items.

In the procedure, which took around an hour, the doctors’ team carefully extracted all objects. A video shared by Reuters showed a number of pens and other objects in the stomach.

The longest pen recovered from the woman’s stomach measured approximately 25 centimetres. One of the pens was also found without its cap, indicating the possibility of an internal injury.

Dr Reddy said it remained unclear how the woman had managed to swallow such a large number of objects.

The woman’s father said the patient had reportedly been suffering from mental health problems for around 10 years and her husband had divorced her two months ago.

Doctors said the woman was now recovering and her condition was stable.