Boy's intestines perforated after swallowing toothpick

(Baonghean.vn) - Because he was holding a bamboo toothpick in his mouth while drinking water, Vu accidentally swallowed it. This rare accident caused the digestive tract from the esophagus to the stomach of this 14-year-old boy to be scratched.

Tan Ky District General Hospital said it had just received and successfully performed an endoscopy to remove a foreign object from the stomach of a child patient, Dang Anh Vu (14 years old), residing in Hong Phuc hamlet, Nghia Phuc commune (Tan Ky).

Vu is currently under post-operative monitoring.

Accordingly, at 9:58 a.m. on November 2, Vu was admitted to the hospital with excruciating abdominal pain. According to Dang Anh Tuan, Vu's father, 4 days before being admitted to the hospital, Vu had the following symptoms: abdominal pain around the navel, the pain gradually increased and spread to the right iliac fossa, no vomiting, and difficulty defecating. He always had dry lips, a dirty tongue, and a fever of about 38-39 degrees.

Doctors diagnosed systemic peritonitis. At 5 pm that same day, when Vu underwent an emergency laparoscopic surgery, doctors discovered a sharp toothpick with 1/3 of it in the abdomen and 2/3 in the rectum and successfully removed it from Vu's abdomen.

Vu recounted that four days before being admitted to the hospital, he accidentally swallowed a toothpick while drinking water while holding it in his mouth. This rare accident caused a scratch on the digestive tract from the esophagus to the stomach.

Currently, Vu is awake, the surgical wound is dry, blood is stable, the abdomen is slightly distended, and is in the post-operative and monitoring process.

Through this case, Dr. Thai Hai Dang - Director of Tan Ky District General Hospital noted that using bamboo toothpicks to pick teeth seems to be a very simple and normal thing but sometimes it is potentially dangerous for young children. Parents should watch their children carefully; do not let children hold or put sharp objects or objects that can be dangerous to children in their mouths.

Phuong Hao