Acute iron overdose associated with ileal perforation in an 11-month-old boy in Rwanda

Abstract

Iron poisoning is a common and potentially fatal event associated with both local and systemic effects, most commonly in chil­dren. Surgical management of patients with iron poisoning primarily focuses on the sequelae of iron intoxication on the gut and liver when nonoperative management has failed. Interventions can include surgical removal of retained iron bezoars, bowel perforation repair, and management of gastrointestinal strictures that may arise weeks after ingestion. The worst cases necessitate liver transplantation.

We present a case of a child with severe bowel ischaemia and distal ileal compromise, successfully treated via bowel resection and primary anastomosis at Rwanda Military Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda.