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The broken catheter was left in the body, like a "bomb" buried in the body that could explode at any time. Finding it became a top priority.

The tiny appearance of the catheter of the indwelling needle under B-ultrasound. Photo provided by the interviewee

Beijing News reporter | Liu Siwei

Intern | Hao Zhelin

Editor | Liu Qian

Proofreading | Zhang Yanjun

▼Full text7290Words, reading requires15minute

The "bomb" buried in Xiaobai's body for five years was taken out. It was a piece of transparent plastic catheter 18 mm long and as thick as a toothpick, with a little blood stain, which was placed on a piece of gauze by the doctor.

Outside the operating room, when Xiaobai's parents saw it, the anxiety and uncertainty of five years were concentrated at once. The couple felt relieved and cried with joy.

This "bomb" is a section of an intravenous catheter. In December 2018, when 5-month-old Xiaobai was receiving medical treatment at a tertiary hospital in Yulin, Shaanxi, the catheter broke in the vein of the head behind Xiaobai's left ear due to a nurse's misoperation. After a failed operation to remove it, a 10-centimeter scar was left on Xiaobai's head. This small, difficult-to-visualize catheter drifted with the blood and disappeared without a trace, becoming a hidden "time bomb" that could puncture blood vessels, form blood clots, or travel to the heart and lungs.