Boy rushed to hospital after homemade blow dart mishap

An intriguing “secret weapon” popularized in Chinese martial arts novels has recently become a trend among primary school students, particularly boys. Using pins and ballpoint pens, they can easily assemble a blow dart that shoots pins toward a target.

A cartoon image generated by Doubao AI.

However, the seemingly harmless toy led to a recent emergency when an 11-year-old boy from Shenzhen was taken to Southern University of Science and Technology Hospital (SUSTech Hospital) late one night.

While playing with his homemade device, the boy accidentally inhaled instead of exhaling — sucking a pin into his mouth. In a panic, he swallowed it, sending the pin down his esophagus.

A hospital CT scan showed the pin lodged in the boy’s stomach. After a 30-minute procedure, doctors successfully removed it using an endoscopic snare.

“First, we carefully positioned the pin vertically, then gently retrieved it with the snare,” explained the medical team.

To prevent similar incidents, doctors at SUSTech Hospital advise the following:

Parents should keep small objects such as buttons, beads, and pins away from young children. Older children should be closely supervised and warned about the risks of homemade toys.

Do not attempt to induce vomiting, as this could cause the object to scrape the esophagus and worsen injuries.

Seek medical attention immediately. The optimal window for removing swallowed objects is within six hours. Delaying treatment may allow the object to shift, leading to serious complications like perforation or infection.

If an accident occurs, bring a sample of the object or a clear photo to the hospital. This provides crucial information to help doctors locate the foreign object and plan treatment.