India: Doctors remove 187 coins from man's stomach

Doctors recovered 187 coins when they performed surgery on a patient suffering from vomiting and abdominal discomfort.

Doctors at the Hanagal Shree Kumareshwar Hospital and Research Centre in Bagalkot say that they recovered 187 coins from the stomach of a patient who was admitted here, following complaints of vomiting and abdominal discomfort.

"He was suffering from a psychiatric disorder and had been swallowing coins for the last 2-3 months. He came to the hospital complaining of vomiting and abdominal discomfort," said Dr Eshwar Kalaburgi, one of the doctors who performed the surgery.

After he complained of stomach ache, his relatives rushed him to the Hangal Sri Kumareshwar Hospital. The medicos carried out his X-ray and performed an endoscopy, said the doctor, adding that the patient had swallowed a total of 187 coins: 56 coins 5-rupee-coins, 51 2-rupee-coins, and 80 1-rupee-coins.

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The man, identified as Dyamappa Harijan, is a resident of Lingsugur town in Raichur district. The patient was suffering from schizophrenia, a psychiatric illness said one of the doctors attending on him, requesting anonymity.

Harijan had swallowed coins of various denominations weighing a total of 1.5kg, over a period of two to three months, said the doctor.

"The stomach was dilated enormously and 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.

"As he was suffering from schizophrenia, in this condition, the patients are unaware of what they are doing. These are rare cases. It's a first-of-a-kind case for me in my 40 years of service."

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