Man gets a fish bone stuck in his throat, so he sucks on... vitamin C to treat it.

The patient reported that three days prior to admission, they had eaten red snapper and swallowed a fish bone. Afterward, they experienced pain when swallowing, progressively worsening hoarseness, and poor appetite.

To remove the fish bone, the patient tried folk remedies such as sucking on vitamin C tablets, spitting, and swallowing large amounts of rice, but these methods were ineffective and only worsened the pain.

Upon arrival at the ENT Hospital, the patient presented with swelling and pain in the neck area, laryngitis with a clicking sound, and a protruding fishbone-like bone.

The 3.5 cm long fish bone was removed from the patient's neck.

The CT scan revealed a 3.5 cm long fish bone extending from the right hypopharynx-esophageal junction and penetrating the neck, with the foreign body approximately 4 mm from the skin and causing inflammation in the area.

In this case, the hospital could not remove the fish bone using endoscopy, so they could only perform an endoscopic examination and open surgery on the neck to remove it. After the surgery, the patient experienced reduced pain, was able to eat and drink, and is being continuously monitored.

Dr. Le Tran Quang Minh, Director of the Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital, advises against swallowing food such as bread or bananas to dislodge fish bones, as these actions will push the bone deeper, making it more difficult for doctors to treat and potentially causing more dangerous complications in the chest area than in the neck, as it could enter the heart or lungs. It is also inadvisable to use fingers to try and remove foreign objects from the throat, as this is ineffective and can push the fish bone deeper, penetrating the throat or esophagus.

Dangers from electronic batteries

According to Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tuan, on October 23rd, the Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital admitted a 5-year-old male patient with persistent, recurring bleeding from his left nostril.

Endoscopy results suggested a foreign body in the left nasal cavity. CT scan results suggested a round, metallic foreign body, approximately 9 mm in size. Due to the child's young age and lack of cooperation, endoscopy and removal of the foreign body were difficult, so the patient had to be taken to the operating room under general anesthesia. The removal revealed an electronic battery. This battery caused necrosis of the septal mucosa and septal cartilage. Following surgery, the patient is currently under observation and treatment.

According to Dr. Le Tran Quang Minh, from 2017 to 2022, the Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital received 278 cases of nasal foreign bodies, including 65 cases caused by electronic batteries. In the first six months of 2023, the hospital also received 16 cases of nasal foreign bodies, including 2 cases of electronic batteries. From 2017 to 2022, the Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital received 12 cases of throat foreign bodies.

"Children who have electronic batteries lodged in their noses are usually under 5 years old, either due to playing with them and inserting them themselves, or in some cases, by a friend. Despite continuous warnings from hospitals, cases of children being ingested with electronic batteries still occur. This is alarming because electronic batteries can cause very dangerous consequences and may cause lifelong damage to children," said Dr. Le Tran Quang Minh.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/hoc-xuong-ca-nguoi-dan-ong-ngam-vitamin-c-de-tri-185231026110430342.htm