On January 31, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Xuan - Deputy Director of Hue Central Hospital said that after nearly 3 days of endoscopic surgery to remove the foreign object, the health of female patient T.T.T. (35 years old, residing in Hue City) is currently stable and recovering well. The patient can eat congee again and is expected to be discharged in the next 3 days.
After a surgery lasting about 1 hour, the medical team successfully performed laparoscopic surgery to remove the foreign object, suture the small intestine, and clean the abdominal cavity. The foreign object was a sharp fish bone, about 4 cm long, that had penetrated the patient's small intestine wall. After the surgery, the patient was transferred to the recovery room for monitoring.
Dr. Nguyen Thanh Xuan shared that this is a rare surgical emergency, requiring quick diagnosis and timely treatment, because if not intervened early, the condition can threaten the patient's life.
Previously, patient T.T.T. was hospitalized with symptoms of severe abdominal pain lasting 2 days, accompanied by mild fever and pain throughout the abdomen, especially in the right iliac fossa. Doctors discovered a fish bone foreign body about 4 cm long, penetrating two loops of small intestine causing localized peritonitis.
On New Year's Eve, the patient was scheduled for emergency surgery. The surgery was performed by Dr. Nguyen Thanh Xuan, head of the Gastroenterology Department.
According to Dr. Nguyen Thanh Xuan, foreign objects can appear in any part of the digestive tract, but are most common in the esophagus and small intestine. Foreign objects are often animal bone fragments or everyday objects such as bamboo toothpicks and screws. If not detected and treated promptly, foreign objects can cause dangerous complications such as organ perforation, bleeding, local abscesses, blood infection, and even death.
Through this case, doctors recommend that people eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and avoid laughing while eating. In particular, food for the elderly and children should be thoroughly cooked to avoid accidents caused by swallowing foreign objects.
When suspecting swallowing a foreign object, the patient should go to a medical facility immediately for timely treatment, avoid self-treatment at home, because this can make the condition more serious.
