Rare case: Man inserts soda can into his anus.

A 34-year-old male patient was admitted to People's Hospital 115 (Ho Chi Minh City) after he self-inserted a can of bird's nest drink into his anus.

Endoscopic images showed a can of soda with its lid still intact inside the patient's rectum. Due to the large size of the foreign object, doctors could not remove it endoscopically as it could cause injury to the anal sphincter. The patient was transferred to the General Surgery department for monitoring and treatment, where anesthesia combined with strong muscle relaxants was used to widen the anal sphincter, and the doctors used specialized instruments to remove the object.

Endoscopic image of a bird's nest drink can inside the patient's rectum.

Not long before, a 27-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital after swallowing a foreign object seven days prior. A gastroscopy revealed two sharp metal rods tied together diagonally. All four ends of the foreign object were sharp, with only one free, while the other three were deeply embedded in the gastric antrum.

The patient stated that, having been admitted to a rehabilitation center, he wanted to go home, so he tied two pointed metal rods together in an X shape with a rubber band, then rolled a tissue into a straight line and swallowed it.

Two metal bars are tied together with rubber bands to form an X shape.

After consultation, the doctors decided to remove the foreign object from the patient's stomach endoscopically with the assistance of a surgical team. The endoscopist used rat-tooth forceps to pull the foreign object out of the stomach wall, then used a snare to secure two metal bars in a straight line and successfully pulled it out.

Gastrointestinal foreign bodies are often caused by patients swallowing animal bones, toothpicks, dentures, pills with their casings, and rare cases involving intentional foreign bodies. Some particularly complex cases cannot be removed endoscopically, or complications may arise due to late arrival at the hospital, requiring surgical intervention or other special methods.

To prevent accidents involving swallowing foreign objects, remember not to hold toothpicks in your mouth, remove dentures before sleeping, carefully check your medication before taking it, limit talking and laughing while eating, and do not insert anything into your body without consulting a doctor. If you accidentally swallow a foreign object, seek medical attention immediately and do not eat or try to swallow more food to dislodge it.

According to VNE