A man who swallowed a toothpick after finishing a meal had to have an emergency op after surgeons found it embedded in his stomach.
The patient – named as Mr Li in local media in Yangzhong, Jiangsu Province, eastern China – was left in agony after the pick started to jab into his gut.
Gastric scans at the Yangzhong People’s Hospital found the three-inch toothpick lodged in his stomach.
Images of the procedure show the sharp wooden object embedded in the front wall of the patient’s stomach.
Nie Daohong, the deputy chief physician of the Yangzhong People’s Hospital, said: “When the gastroscope entered the stomach, [we] found that a foreign object about 7 cm (2,7 inches) long, similar to a toothpick, was embedded in the anterior wall of the gastric antrum.”
Dr Nie – with a team of two other surgeons – led a delicate procedure to remove the pick without causing further internal injuries.
He later revealed that he picked his teeth with the toothpick after a meal.
Apparently, Li had a habit of leaving toothpicks in his mouth after using them, an act which prompted his ordeal.
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Story By: Filip Dzambazoski, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Asia Wire Report
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