Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Scissors removed from man's stomach 18 years after surgical team accidentally left them in there

They've been in his abdomen since 1998

Helen Hoddinott
Tuesday 03 January 2017 12:29 GMT
Comments
Man has scissors removed from stomach after 18 years

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

A pair of scissors has been removed from the stomach of a Vietnamese man, 18 years after they were left inside him during an operation.

The 15-centimetre-long surgical scissors, by now rusty and broken, were successfully extracted from 54 year-old Ma Van Nhat at Bac Kan General Hospital on Saturday.

Nhat had a traffic accident in 1998, after which he required surgery at the same hospital in northern Vietnam.

Having recently experienced frequent sharp pains, Nhat had his stomach x-rayed and the film showed the scissors lying in his abdomen.

Before Saturday's operation he stood in front of the hospital displaying the scar from his original operation and the X-ray film showing the scissors.

He is now said to be steadily recovering.

Additional reporting by AP.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in