A fishbone stuck in your throat, what would you do?
A. drink vinegar
B. Swallow the steamed bread and rice
C. Picking by hand
D. Go to the hospital
If you didn’t choose D, watch out!
Recently, when Mr. Chen, 45, from Guangzhou was drinking fish soup, he did not seek medical attention in time because of a fishbone stuck in his throat. Three days later, he suddenly started vomiting blood and died after being sent to the hospital.
On the evening of July 30, when Mr. Chen came home from get off work, he was so thirsty that he drank the fish head soup cooked by his wife in a few mouthfuls.
He immediately felt a tingling in his throat.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
Is the fishbone stuck?
He quickly ate a few mouthfuls of rice and drank vinegar, but nothing improved.
His wife urged him to go to the hospital, but he did not go because he was worried about the risk of seeking medical treatment during the epidemic.
After 3 days of this, the pain has not been relieved.
On the evening of August 2, Mr. Chen suddenly began to vomit blood. He vomited once an hour, and each time he vomited a big bowl.
At 2 am, he rushed to the emergency department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine for medical treatment.
Professor Wang Jiyong, director of cardiothoracic surgery, said that a nearly 4 cm long fishbone was stuck in the upper part of Mr. Chen’s esophagus, and it had pierced the esophagus and the thoracic aorta. This is why Mr. Chen vomited blood.
Mr. Chen continued to vomit blood after he arrived at the hospital. The doctors did not bother to test him for nucleic acid, and immediately intubated him with artificial respiration and a large number of blood transfusions.
However, despite the doctors’ efforts to save Mr. Chen’s life.
He died on the evening of August 3 at the age of 45, leaving behind two minor children.
The fishbone in the fish head is relatively large and hard, which is one of the main reasons for Mr. Chen’s tragedy.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
Small fishbone sticks, even if they become stuck, have a relatively small risk of major bleeding or even death.
In addition to large fish bones, some chicken bones, duck bones, small lamb ribs, etc., may also get stuck in the esophagus. Because they are relatively hard, they can gradually corrode, puncture the esophagus and aorta, and even cause fatal injuries.
Don’t believe it! Fishbone and broken bones really have so much power!
Similar reports appear almost every year.
A fishbone or broken bone is most likely to get stuck in the 3 parts of the esophagus when swallowed, which is the natural 3 physiological strictures of the esophagus.
It is most dangerous to get stuck in the second physiological stenosis of the esophagus, which is close to the aortic arch.
In clinical practice, there are also cases of fishbone swallowing into the stomach, piercing the stomach and piercing the abdominal organs (such as the pancreas) [1], but the probability is very small.
Swallowing rice and vinegar is not completely useless, otherwise it would not have been passed down as a “magic recipe”.
Small fishbone can be taken down with earthwork such as swallowing steamed bread, rice or drinking vinegar.
If you are unlucky, this may be the case
What’s even scarier is that it might be!
(all made by myself)
But be reminded:
If you swallow a relatively large fishbone or broken bone, and feel pain in the throat, esophagus, etc., which cannot be relieved by simple methods such as coughing and drinking water, you must go to the hospital as soon as possible. .
When a fishbone gets stuck, it is usually relatively easy for doctors to remove it, and the risk of complications is not high.
However, if the soil method is used indiscriminately, it will only make the fishbone deeper and harder to remove.
Tips
Three steps for fishbone stuck throat
The first step is to try coughing to see if the bone can come off.
If the fishbone is small, try coughing hard, the small fishbone may fall off with the airflow.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
The second step, let the family members try to remove the visible fishbone with tweezers.
Invite family members to look at it with a flashlight. If it is stuck in a shallow position that can be seen by the naked eye, you can try to use tweezers to help you out.
The third step, hurry to the hospital!
If you can’t cough and your family members are shaking hands and don’t dare to take it, go to the hospital to get it!
Reviewer: Wang Jiyong| Director and Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
References:
[1]Yu Yongquan, Zhang Hongsheng, Li Chuanbao. A case of pancreatic infection caused by fishbone foreign body penetrating the stomach wall and pancreas [J]. Chinese Journal of Pancreatic Diseases, 2019, 19(5):373- 376.
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