Kuwait Hospital Sharjah removes 12-centimeter nail and spoon after duodenal rupture

Kuwait Hospital in Sharjah treated a patient who swallowed a 12-centimeter nail and a spoon, after the objects ruptured and perforated the duodenum, Gulf Today reported on 31 August 2026.

The highest-stakes readers are COOs, insurers and medical directors. The case is a reminder that foreign-body ingestion can move from emergency imaging to endoscopy and open surgery within hours. For Dubai facilities licensed by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Abu Dhabi and Al Ain providers licensed by the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH Abu Dhabi), and northern emirates providers under federal channels led by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), the operational issue is the same: document triage, preserve referral notes and confirm insurer rules after stabilisation.

What happened in Sharjah

Gulf Today said the patient reached the emergency department in critical condition after ingesting the two metal objects. Diagnostic imaging found sharp foreign bodies causing extensive injury to the duodenum. The surgical team first performed an endoscopic examination, then emergency surgery to remove the nail and spoon, repair perforations and protect surrounding organs.

Medical examinations and diagnostic imaging identified solid, sharp foreign objects causing extensive damage to the duodenum. Dr Ibrahim Al Najoumi, Consultant and Head of Surgery, Kuwait Hospital in Sharjah.

Afraa Salem, director of Kuwait Hospital in Sharjah, was named by Gulf Today in the report. The hospital is part of Emirates Health Services (EHS), the federal operator of public hospitals and clinics in the northern emirates. EHS lists Kuwait Hospital Sharjah as a facility providing primary and specialised healthcare services.

Why UAE operators should care

Foreign-body ingestion is a low-frequency event, but the pathway tests four functions at once: emergency triage, imaging, endoscopy availability and operating theatre escalation. In Dubai, a private clinic seeing severe abdominal pain after suspected ingestion should refer directly to an emergency department with surgical and endoscopic cover. In Abu Dhabi, DOH Abu Dhabi's November 2025 emergency standard applies to DOH-licensed public and private providers that deliver planned care and emergency care. It also applies to all health insurance products and schemes where relevant.

The finance question is narrower than the clinical one. Routine upper GI endoscopy in Dubai is listed by one Dubai Healthcare City clinic guide at AED 1,500-4,000, with an upper endoscopy taking 10-20 minutes and requiring 6-8 hours of fasting for scheduled cases. Emergency foreign-body ingestion with perforation is different. It can add CT imaging, anaesthesia, operating theatre time, inpatient stay, ICU review, pharmacy and post-operative follow-up. The exact bill depends on the facility tariff, coding, network status and policy schedule.

• Clinics should record the object type, ingestion time, symptoms and vital signs before transfer.
• Hospitals should preserve imaging reports, endoscopy notes, operative notes and discharge summaries for insurer review.
• Insurers should separate stabilisation decisions from later network, pre-authorisation and reimbursement checks.
• Patients should use emergency departments for sharp objects, magnets, batteries, breathing difficulty, vomiting blood or severe abdominal pain.

Insurance and patient routing

For insured patients, the first call after stabilisation is usually the hospital insurance desk, then the payer or third-party administrator. A Daman or Thiqa member in Abu Dhabi should verify benefits through the plan channel because Thiqa is an Abu Dhabi government programme managed by Daman. Dubai and northern emirates members on commercial plans, including Sukoon policies, should ask whether emergency admission, endoscopy, surgery, consumables and post-discharge medicines are covered under the same episode.

COOs should review whether their front desks know where to send suspected ingestion cases after hours. CIOs should check whether emergency referral forms, radiology images and insurer documentation can move between the clinic, hospital and payer without manual re-entry. Medical directors should make sure staff do not reassure patients after sharp-object ingestion when pain, fever, vomiting or bleeding is present.

For patients and operators choosing a licensed emergency-capable provider, the practical starting point is the UAE Open Healthcare Directory. It lists 12,386+ licensed healthcare providers across all seven emirates and cross-references facilities against official licensing data from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the northern emirates.