Man swallows toothpick, pierces duodenum

Hoang Van Quang, 59, of Dak Lak Province, said he began to feel pain of different levels in his right abdomen last November.

However, he assumed that the pain might have been caused by a ureteral stone, for which he was being treated and doctors had already set a date to perform surgery to remove the stone. As a result, Quang did not see a doctor to see what was causing the pain.

But after the pain grew to the point that he could not endure it any longer, he visited Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City last week.

A tomography scan showed that a bamboo toothpick 6.5cm long with two pointed ends had pierced his duodenum, causing an infection.

The bamboo toothpick that is picked out of a man’s duodenum at Tam Anh General Hospital in HCMC. Photo by the hospital

Doctors used an endoscope to remove the toothpick.

Pham Huu Tung, deputy head of the Center for Endoscopy and Gastrointestinal Surgery, said Quang was “lucky” that the accident was not life-threatening yet.

After five days of antibiotic treatment, the patient was free of abdominal pain and was discharged from the hospital.