Woman in Nghe An shivers after swallowing 2 bamboo toothpicks, which punctured her colon

Previously, at 6:00 a.m. on April 13, 2021, Ms. PTL, 58 years old, residing in Nghia Phuc commune, Tan Ky district, was taken to a local medical facility for emergency treatment in a state of continuous abdominal pain.

A 58-year-old female patient who accidentally swallowed a bamboo toothpick and perforated her colon had successful laparoscopic surgery to remove the foreign object. Photo: Phuong Hao

After performing clinical and paraclinical examinations, the doctors made an initial diagnosis,patienthad peritonitis syndrome suspected of being caused by ruptured appendicitis and was consulted for emergency surgery using laparoscopic method.

Doctors performed laparoscopic surgery to remove a foreign object, a sharp toothpick, from the patient's cecum wall. Photo: Phuong Hao

However, during the surgery, the surgical team discovered a foreign object from the digestive tract that had penetrated the intestines, causing peritonitis. The foreign object, suspected to be a toothpick, had penetrated the wall of the cecum (near the appendix). After removing the first toothpick, the doctor used a tool to gently manipulate the area and found a second toothpick.

The patient is currently stable and is continuing to be monitored and treated post-operatively.

The foreign object was a sharp bamboo toothpick that punctured the colon of patient L.

Doctors said that if the bamboo toothpick was not detected and removed by endoscopy in time, it could cause complications such as peritonitis, which could be life-threatening.

According to doctors, when accidentally swallowing a toothpick, patients need to quickly go to medical facilities for examination and early treatment to avoid unfortunate complications.