Egyptian surgeons successfully remove mobile phone from patient's stomach

Dubai: Egyptian surgeons at Hurghada General Hospital have successfully extracted a small mobile phone from a patient’s stomach after the device caused a life-threatening obstruction, Egyptian health officials announced. 

The unidentified patient arrived at the hospital suffering from severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, and exhaustion, according to the Red Sea Health Directorate.

Imaging scans revealed a foreign object blocking the stomach, which surgeons later identified as a compact mobile phone the patient had accidentally swallowed.

Dr. Karim El Shabrawy, the hospital’s director, told reporters that a specialized medical team performed an urgent procedure to remove the device. The surgery was completed without complications, and the patient regained consciousness in recovery with stable vital signs, though remains under observation. Although surgeons successfully removed a mobile phone from a patient's stomach in Egypt, it has not been revealed how the device ended up there.

The Hurghada case joins a bizarre global catalog of emergency room swallowing incidents. Medical literature documents patients ingesting everything from 40 knives to a pound of nails and screws. 

In 2021, Egypt recorded its first known case of a fully swallowed mobile phone, which became lodged in a patient’s esophagus, requiring emergency intervention.