Boy got his stomach pierced by a toothpick

On October 12, the patient was admitted to Binh Duong Private General Hospital with severe abdominal pain. Doctors determined that the toothpick had pierced the patient's stomach wall.

The endoscopist removed a sharp toothpick nearly 5 cm long from the patient's stomach and clamped the perforated area for conservative treatment.

Doctor Le Xuan Duc, who performed the procedure, said that this is a very common case of accidentally swallowing a foreign object while eating. However, this patient had a sharp toothpick pierced through his stomach for about a month. If not treated promptly, the foreign object could penetrate deeper, leading to peritonitis, perforation of nearby organs, and a high risk of infection.

According to the patient, a month ago he was drinking water and picking his teeth when he accidentally swallowed a toothpick. He had no stomach pain and went to the local hospital where the doctor treated him with medicine. After that, he had a stomachache and thought it was just a normal stomach ache so he did not go for further examination.

Doctors recommend being careful when eating and drinking to avoid swallowing foreign objects, especially not holding toothpicks in your mouth while eating or drinking as this can cause choking. In case of abdominal pain suspected to be caused by swallowing a foreign object, the patient should go to the nearest medical facility for examination and early endoscopy to remove the foreign object.