A 22-year-old Australian girl will have no choice but to undergo major surgery after a rare complication caused the contraceptive device implanted in the skin of her arm to migrate into her pulmonary artery.
“It’s pretty frightening […] They may not be able to reach it. “They may end up having to just cut out the middle, which is classified as open heart surgery,” Cloe Westerway lamented in an interview with 7NEWS on Tuesday.
As the operation approaches, questions are running through the mind of the young woman, who two years earlier had resorted to a simple contraceptive procedure that involved inserting a small hormonal implant under the skin of her arm, as she confided to the Australian media.
This common contraceptive method, known under the brand names Implanon or Nexplanon, is one of the most reliable, with a success rate of 99%, according to the New York Post. It would block pregnancy for a period of up to three years.
But after just a few days, she experienced unwanted side effects, including heart palpitations, burning sensations and excessive sweating.
However, when doctors tried to locate the 4cm implant in order to remove it, they discovered that it was further inside his body, in his pulmonary artery, through his right ventricle and into the left chamber of his heart.
This is one of the very rare complications of this type of contraception.
“You know… what if they don’t release it? And if I don’t survive [à l’opération]? What happens if further damage occurs? whispered the young woman.
The young woman is expected to remain in intensive care at the Victorian Heart Hospital for three days following the operation, which is expected to last five hours, and her recovery could take several months, 7NEWS reported.