Contraceptive Implant Inserted in Arm Migrates to Heart
Medical Staff Surprised... "This Has Never Happened Before"
A woman in Australia narrowly escaped a life-threatening situation caused by a contraceptive device. The issue was with a contraceptive implant inserted in her arm.
Recently, British outlet The Sun and others reported the story of 22-year-old Chloe Westerway, who lives in Australia.
Two years ago, Westerway underwent a procedure at a women's clinic in Melbourne to have an implant inserted in her arm. This is a plastic rod about 4cm long that releases progesterone into the bloodstream to stop ovulation each month. Westerway had also used an implant when she was 15 years old.
However, Westerway later suffered from severe neuralgia, heartburn, palpitations, and vomiting. She visited a hospital for tests, but no cause was found. Medical staff decided to remove the implant to alleviate her symptoms.
However, the medical team could not locate the implant in her arm, and after several examinations, it was confirmed that the implant had moved near the pulmonary artery of the heart. It was determined that the implant had migrated from the right ventricle of the heart to the left ventricle, which could have been fatal.
Westerway said, "The doctors were very surprised," adding, "They said they had never seen anything like this before and were so confused that it was very frightening."
The implant is known as a modern contraceptive method that can be removed at any time and has a high success rate. Additionally, it does not affect daily life or usage after implantation, and the procedure takes a short time, which reduces the burden on patients.
However, according to the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in 2019, there have been 126 reported cases of contraceptive implants migrating within the body.
The implant used on Westerway is a brand called Nexplanon, and since its release, there have been 107 cases of Nexplanon migrating to the pulmonary artery and lungs.
Meanwhile, Westerway will require lung and heart surgery to remove the implant, which is expected to cause significant disruption to her daily life, including taking several months off work. She claims, "The implant was never properly inserted into my arm from the beginning."
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