12-year-old boy loses almost entire digestive system because of surgical errors

A young boy in China lost almost his whole digestive system due to errors during a surgery.

Local media reported on Nov. 11 that the now 12-year-old named Xiaoye is on intravenous nutrition, which means nutrients are delivered to his body through his vein as he's no longer able to absorb them through his digestive system.

The medical blunder took place in October 2023. He, then 10 years old, was admitted to Chengwu County People’s Hospital in Shandong province after experiencing severe pain from a classmate's unintentional hit in his stomach.

Doctors discovered a lump in the boy’s abdomen during the examination and opted for laparoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive procedure, with consent from the boy's parents.

They informed his parents that the tumor was found in his pancreas and that removing the pancreas and duodenum was a necessity.

Xiaoye's mother Yue recalled feeling pressured to consent to these surgeries as doctors allegedly implied that they would be accused of refusing important treatments.

"Doctors emerged repeatedly, asking us to sign various surgical consent forms. They mentioned a hemorrhage issue, suggested a laparotomy, and insisted they needed to remove certain organs. Ultimately, we signed four such consent forms," she's quoted as saying. "In addition to those two organs, the doctors also removed parts of the small intestine and the gallbladder. They extracted two-thirds of my son’s stomach, leaving only 50cm of his colon intact."

The procedure went on for 14 hours, resulting in the removal of nearly all of Xiaoye's digestive organs.

The boy has since lost considerable weight, and has "become withdrawn and seldom speaks now," said Yue. "He spends his days in the hospital bed, as if merely extending his existence there."

In December last year, a third-party institution found that the said medical treatment had notable shortcomings. The Chengwu County Health Bureau's investigation in May revealed a series of errors by the hospital, including improper procedures for pre-surgery consultations between departments.

The hospital has reportedly paid Xiaoye's family 200,000 yuan (P1.6 million) in compensation following the incident.