On January 21, information from Khanh Hoa General Hospital said that the unit had just received and successfully treated a dangerous gastrointestinal foreign object case due to swallowing toothpicks.
The patient is Mr. N.Q.T (54 years old, residing in Nha Trang ward) who was admitted to the hospital with severe abdominal pain.
Through examination and abdominal CT scan, doctors recorded images suspected of a sharp foreign object piercing the duodenum wall, immediately prescribing emergency interventional endoscopy.
During the gastrointestinal endoscopy for the patient, the team discovered a toothpick inserted through the lower back of the duodenum.
Doctors used specialized pliers to remove the foreign object intact, the injured site was then clipped with two clips to stop bleeding and prevent complications. After the procedure, the patient's condition stabilized and continued to be monitored at the hospital.
Previously, in October 2025, the hospital also received a case of a 36-year-old male patient with peritonitis perforating the sigma colon due to swallowing toothpicks while drinking water.
After 1 day, the patient had severe pain in the lower abdomen. Abdominal CT scan results showed that a foreign object was inserted through the walls of the sigmoid colon and rectum, and the two pointed ends of the tooth were inserted across the patient's intestinal wall.
According to Khanh Hoa General Hospital, foreign object hoarding is a common accident, on average every month, the unit receives 10-15 cases, mainly in the esophagus or stomach.
Notably, in a short time, Khanh Hoa General Hospital received two cases of adults swallowing toothpicks. The main reason stems from the habit of sucking toothpicks after eating - a behavior that poses many risks to health.
Doctors warn that toothpicks are sharp foreign objects, when they enter the digestive tract, they can cause perforation of the stomach, small intestine, colon, leading to bleeding, infection or other serious complications if not detected and treated promptly.
People need to absolutely avoid the habit of gritting their teeth to prevent unfortunate accidents.
