20cm long tree branch found in patient's chest for more than 2 years

On May 16, a representative of Ha Tinh General Hospital said that they had performed emergency surgery on an elderly woman, TTH (95 years old, residing in Thanh Binh Thinh commune, Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh), who was stabbed in the chest by a section of a palm tree branch (also known as an ash tree) more than 20cm long.

According to family members, around early March 2023, while going out to the garden, the old lady fell into the base of a palm tree and suffered bleeding in the right chest area.

Surgeons remove foreign objects (Photo: Van Nguyen).

After that, her family took her to many places for examination and treatment but no foreign object was found and only the wound was treated. After nearly 2 months of treatment, the wound was dry and the old lady could walk on her own but still had a dull pain in her chest.

By early April, the old woman's old wound was swollen, painful and oozing fluid. Her family took her to Ha Tinh General Hospital.

According to Dr. Tran Duc Dung, Head of the General Surgery Department (Ha Tinh General Hospital), this is a rare case. As a result of examination and chest CT scan, the doctor discovered a right lung abscess with a foreign object in the chest, penetrating the right lung.

A foreign object, a tree branch longer than 20cm, was removed from the old woman's chest (Photo: Van Nguyen).

After consultation, the patient was transferred to the operating room. Here, doctors from the General Surgery Department and the Trauma Department performed surgery and discovered that the eighth rib was broken due to a foreign object, causing osteomyelitis and an abscess in the right lung.

Doctors removed the foreign object, a dry tree branch more than 20cm long. After a month of treatment and rehabilitation, the old woman's health has stabilized, she can sit up and eat by herself. The patient is expected to be discharged in the next few days.

The patient was very old, the old lady endured the pain caused by the foreign object for more than 2 months, which is admirable.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/canh-cay-dai-20cm-nam-trong-long-nguc-benh-nhan-hon-2-nam-20250516135436264.htm