Spoon stuck in man's esophagus for a year
Through endoscopy, doctors discovered the spoon that patient Zhang (China) had swallowed a year ago.
According toLive Science, Zhang swallowed a spoon during a mental breakdown in 2017. Feeling no discomfort, the patient did not seek medical attention until late October.
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X-ray results showed the spoon stuck in Zhang's body. Photo:Xinjiang Meikuang General Hospital. |
Zhang was admitted to Xinjiang Meikuang General Hospital, where he was held in his chest and in extreme pain. He said he had just been punched in the chest. Tests showed a metal foreign object stuck in his esophagus. Doctors found the spoon covered in mucus through endoscopy. "I was shocked. I have never seen anything like this before," said Dr. Yu Xiwu, head of the ENT department at Meikuang General Hospital.
The medical team determined that the foreign object could threaten the patient's life and needed to be removed immediately. On October 22, doctors operated on Zhang. After two hours of surgery, the 20cm spoon was safely removed. Two days later, Zhang was discharged from the hospital.
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A 20cm long spoon was removed from Zhang's esophagus. Photo:Xinjiang Meikuang General Hospital. |
Up to now, world medical literature has recorded many cases of swallowing foreign objects such as lighters, dentures, mainly due to accidents or temporary loss of judgment. Some people repeatedly deliberately swallow dangerous objects. In 2016, a 42-year-old man swallowed 40 knives in two months because he liked the taste of knives.
