Doctors remove 187 coins from man’s stomach in southern India
by Komal KashyapDoctors removed 187 coins from a man’s stomach in a bizarre incident that took place in southern India’s Karnataka.
The operation took place at Hangal Sri Kumareshwar Hospital attached to S Nijalingappa Medical College in Bagalkot city on November 26.
Visuals showed the coins scattered on the table. Another visual was an endoscopy that showed coins inside the stomach.
Speaking to Newslions Dr. Eshwar Kalaburagi, a surgeon, said that the name of the man was Dyamappa Harijan. He is a resident of Lingsugur town in Raichur district.
He came to the hospital with stomach pain. A doctor who was attending on him, said on the conditions of anonymity, that he was suffering from schizophrenia, a psychiatric illness. Harijan had swallowed coins of various denominations weighing a total of 1.5 kilograms over a period of two to three months.
After he complained of stomach ache on Tuesday, his relatives rushed him to Hangal Sri Kumareshwar Hospital. He was under observation for three to four days and it came out that he had coins in his stomach.
The medicos carried out his X-ray and performed an endoscopy, said the doctor, adding, the patient had swallowed a total of 187 coins-56 coins of ₹5 (USD 0.061), 51 of ₹2 (USD 0.024), and 80 of ₹1 (USD 0.012).
“He was suffering from a psychiatric problem. He had been swallowing these coins for the last two to three months. He came to the hospital complaining of vomiting and abdominal discomfort. Based on his symptoms, we did an X-ray and endoscopy and found coins in the stomach. So, we decided to operate upon him,” Dr Eshwar Kalaburgi said.
“The stomach was dilated enormously. Lots of coins were stuck in different places of the stomach. After two hours of surgery, we retrieved all the coins. Following the operation, he was treated for water deficiency and other minor issues. The patient is stable and is talking as of now,” Dr Kalaburgi said.
Apart from Dr Kalaburgi, other members of the team included Prakash Kattimani, Roopa Hulakunde and A Archana, all of whom are practicing doctors.