Fish bone pierced stomach, stabbed liver of old woman in Ho Chi Minh City

According to Dr. Tran Duc Loi, Department of General Surgery, An Binh Hospital, when examining the patient, the clinical manifestations were epigastric pain, typical of peritonitis. Blood test results and abdominal ultrasound showed increased white blood cells, a sign of infection.

The doctor continued to order a CT scan. The image showed a large abscess, about 10 cm in size, in the left liver, a small abscess below next to the stomach, and between the liver and stomach was a piece of fish bone about 4 cm long. With the CT results, along with the peritonitis, the old lady was immediately scheduled for surgery.

After breaking the abscess and draining 300ml of pus, the team continued to break the small abscess between the liver and stomach and removed the fish bone. The patient no longer had a hole in the stomach because the fish bone was sharp and small. After being released, the small hole in the stomach sealed itself. The doctors cleaned the abdomen and drained it.

A 4cm long fish bone was taken from the patient's stomach and liver. Photo: BVCC

"This is a rare case where a fish bone pierced the stomach and stabbed into the liver. After many days of abdominal pain, the patient did not know and used painkillers, causing the wound to form an abscess. The abscess will have bacteria, the bacteria will follow the blood vessels that nourish the organs, leading to sepsis or if the abscess ruptures in the abdomen, it will be life-threatening," Dr. Loi explained.

Normally, in cases of foreign bodies in the digestive tract, if the foreign body punctures, only the sharp part will come out, the rest will remain inside. For example, if a patient accidentally swallows a toothpick, the toothpick goes down to the small intestine, punctures the small intestine, then only the sharp part will come out, the body of the toothpick will remain inside the intestine.

The old lady's health after surgery is now stable, her stomach pain has subsided, she is alert, and eating normally. She is expected to be discharged tomorrow.

Doctor Loi recommends that people with unexplained, prolonged abdominal pain should go to a medical facility for examination as soon as possible; they should not take antibiotics or pain relievers without a doctor's prescription.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/suc-khoe/xuong-ca-xuyen-thung-da-day-dam-vao-gan-cu-ba-o-tp-hcm-20230515150617307.htm