Baby T.V.G.B. (12 years old, living in Binh Duong) suffered from abdominal pain and a fever that lasted for many months due to swallowing toothbrushes, causing foreign objects to penetrate the duodenum and build up the spleen.
According to family information, from January 2025, babies appear symptoms of fever and left abdominal pain. At the local hospital, the doctor discovered the fluid around the spleen, suspected of being injured when swimming and appointed conservation treatment. After that, when returning to the countryside to celebrate Tet, the family continued to take the baby to the examination again, the ultrasound results showed that there was little fluid, prescribed to be treated at home.
It was thought that everything was fine, but on May 11, the child suddenly had a high fever again, severe abdominal pain and had to be hospitalized for emergency care. When transferred to Children's Hospital 2 (HCMC), doctors discovered a foreign object about 7cm long in the abdomen through ultrasound. After the consultation, the child underwent emergency endoscopic surgery. The foreign object was removed, causing a surprise to the family: a toothpick.
According to the family, the child has a habit of eating hastily, not excluding the possibility of having swallowed toothbrush for a long time without knowing it. Tofu persists in the end of the duodenum, causing prolonged inflammation and accumulation of renal spurs, leading to pain and persistent fever.
Dr. Bui Hai Trung - Deputy Head of the General Surgery Department, Children's Hospital 2 Ho Chi Minh City, said that the person who directly performed the surgery - said: "Shooting foreign objects is a dangerous accident, commonly found in young children, but can still occur in older children, especially for sharp foreign objects such as toothpness. Tofu can penetrate the esophagus, stomach or intestines, causing inflammation, severe infections, and even death if not detected early."
Doctor Trung warned that the wooden toothpick is not affected by the camera angina, so it is difficult to detect it through regular X-rays, and initial symptoms are easily confused or overlooked. He recommends that parents do not let their children brush, but instead instruct children to use safer oral hygiene products. At the same time, schools need to strengthen health education for students about the risk of constipation. If you suspect that your child is swallowing a foreign object, you should take it to a medical facility that can diagnose the image as soon as possible.
