The first case is an 85-year-old female patient with a history of high blood pressure and diabetes. After eating fish, the patient developed a feeling of bloated swallowing, painful swallowing. Instead of going to the hospital, the patient tried to swallow a lot of rice and used her hands to hook her throat to push the foreign object. In the following days, the symptoms did not improve but became more severe, difficulty swallowing, limited eating, so the patient came to the Ear, Nose and Throat Department, Thong Nhat Hospital for examination.
Through examination, endoscopy of the ear, nose, and throat recorded a lot of swollen fungal cartilage. Gastrointestinal and stomach endoscopy did not detect foreign objects, but X-rays of the inclined neck showed suspicious images. CT scan results identified a piece of fish bone about 22 mm long, penetrating the left lobe of the thyroid gland. After inter-departmental consultation, doctors decided to perform surgery to open the neck to remove the foreign object, and at the same time treat it with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and pain relief.
The second case is a 52-year-old female patient, who also developed a feeling of sore throat and difficulty swallowing after eating fish. However, the patient did not go for examination but treated herself by spitting out a lot, swallowing rice and sucking in large amounts of vitamin C with the hope that "fish bones would be consumed". When admitted to the hospital, the patient was in a state of severe sore throat, difficulty swallowing and starting to have difficulty breathing.
Laryngeal endoscopy showed severe edema of laryngeal cartilage and fungal cartilage, loss of anatomical grooves, covering the airway. CT images recorded severe edema in the laryngeal cartilage, fungal cartilage and tongue base, with the risk of causing airway obstruction, life-threatening if not treated promptly. The patient was indicated for emergency hospitalization and intensive treatment. After endoscopy to remove the foreign object combined with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, anaerobic and pain relief, the patient's condition improved significantly.
Doctors recommend that when suspecting foreign objects such as fish bones, chicken bones or foreign objects in the throat area, people should immediately go to the nearest medical facility with sufficient facilities to be examined and treated promptly. Self-swallowing, hooking the throat or using folk remedies is not only ineffective but can also cause foreign objects to go deep, causing dangerous complications.
