Baby girl to have specialist surgery to remove three sewing needles from near her heart
Fan Zixuan, aged 11 months, was rushed to hospital in Beijing after 12 needles had been stuck into her body. The girl's father said he thinks a "vicious" person was responsible.
Doctors have decided to surgically remove three life-threatening sewing needles which have pierced dangerously close to the heart of an 11-month-old girl – and leave nine more alone amid fears removal would be too risky.
The girl was earlier rushed to Beijing for treatment after it was discovered the needles had been inserted into little Fan Zixuan when she was taken to hospital in Shandong with red marks.
Now specialists at Beijing Children’s Hospital said the surgery could go ahead on Tuesday. The remaining nine needles did not pose an imminent danger since they were away from vital organs and veins and could be left as long as she received regular monitoring, Qilu Evening News reported.
Doctors told Fan’s relatives, from Liaocheng in Shandong, that the risks of further surgery were too high. Specialists would need to use X-ray machines to find the fine needles, exposing Fan to excessive radiation.
The girl was taken to the capital via high-speed train after X-rays showed she had 12 sewing needles insider her body – just one month after four needles had been found inside her.
Her father Fan Guangsheng, a farmer who was usually away working, had called police fearing the needles had been deliberately inserted.