Medical Mystery in China: 35-Year-Old Man Found with Sewing Needle Near Heart
A 35-year-old man sought treatment at a hospital in China after experiencing discomfort while urinating and noticing blood in his urine, according to medical reports published in September 2026. While his vital signs remained stable and he displayed no other obvious signs of illness, subsequent diagnostic imaging revealed a shadow-like shape near his heart. Doctors ordered a contrast-enhanced CT scan that uncovered multiple needle-like metallic foreign bodies scattered across his abdomen, pelvis, bladder, and private parts. Most critically, a 1.4-inch metallic pin had pierced the pericardium, the fluid-filled sac surrounding his heart.
Surgical Extraction and Post-Operative Recovery
Surgeons immediately scheduled the patient for an operation to extract the hazardous object. Medical staff successfully removed an intact metallic sewing needle from his pericardium. Extensive corrosion on the retrieved pin indicated it had remained inside his body for some time. According to hospital records, the man’s cardiac function temporarily deteriorated after the procedure due to the combined stress of surgery and prior internal trauma. However, he stabilized and was discharged nine days later. A nine-month follow-up examination confirmed his heart condition remained stable, though doctors chose to leave the remaining scattered needles in place to monitor for complications rather than risk additional invasive surgeries.
Investigating Self-Embedding Behaviors
Treating physicians faced a perplexing question: how did the pins enter the patient’s body? Medical examinations revealed no obvious entry wounds or scars on his body. The patient, who has a childhood history of intellectual disability, could not explain the presence of the objects, and neither could his father, who serves as his legal caregiver. Reviewing his prior medical files provided a crucial clue. Two years earlier, medical staff at a different hospital had removed two foreign objects from the man’s abdomen. This history led clinicians to suspect self-embedding, a rare form of self-inflicted injury where individuals deliberately insert foreign items such as glass, wire, paper clips, or pins beneath their skin.
Historical Context of Self-Embedding Cases
While rarely discussed in mainstream medicine, self-embedding has been documented by psychiatrists for decades. One of the earliest well-known instances involved serial assassin Albert Fish, who was found to have nearly 30 needles embedded in his groin and abdomen. Documented cases emerged again during the 1980s before gaining renewed medical attention in the late 2000s and early 2010s. At a 2008 medical conference in Chicago, radiologists from Nationwide Children’s Hospital presented X-ray data showing that 11 out of 505 patients treated over a decade had inserted items like crayons and paper clips under their skin. Harvard psychology professor Matthew Nock explained to Time in 2008 that self-injurers often experience higher physiological arousal under stress, struggle with distress tolerance, and exhibit deficits in social problem-solving skills.
Did You Know?
Self-embedding carries severe medical risks. Beyond local infections in muscles or bones, inserted objects can travel through tissue and perforate vital organs, or strike major arteries, veins, and nerves, causing permanent physical damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did the sewing needle reach the man’s heart?
Doctors discovered that a 1.4-inch metallic pin had pierced the pericardium, the fluid-filled sac surrounding the heart.
What is self-embedding?
Self-embedding is a rare form of self-inflicted injury where an individual deliberately inserts foreign objects, such as needles, wire, or paper clips, underneath their skin.
Were all the needles removed during surgery?
To stay updated on rare medical cases and healthcare breakthroughs, subscribe to our newsletter and explore our latest reporting.
Keep reading