The patient, Mr. L. P. T (30 years old, from Soc Trang province), came to the emergency room at Hoan My Cuu Long Hospital (Can Tho City) in a state of fatigue, fever, bloating, diarrhea, accompanied by increasing pain above the navel for about 3 days before being admitted to the hospital.
The patient bought medicine to take on his own but it did not help. According to the family, the cause was that the patient accidentally swallowed a chicken bone while eating.
Through examination and paraclinical tests, the abdominal computed tomography (MSCT) results detected a radiopaque foreign body measuring 4x12 mm, penetrating the wall of the ileum in the right iliac fossa. The ileum wall was thickened, edematous, and had surrounding fat infiltration, with no free air in the abdominal cavity. The ileum occupied about half the length of the lower part of the small intestine.
After consultation, the medical team ordered emergency surgery to cut off a section of the small intestine to remove the foreign object, a piece of chicken bone. After surgery, the patient recovered quickly, had less pain, could eat normally, and was discharged after 7 days of treatment.
According to specialist Dr. Truong Thanh Nghia - Department of Gastroenterology, Hoan My Cuu Long Hospital, small intestine perforation is a relatively rare emergency, often caused by foreign objects. Therefore, when eating foods with small, sharp bones such as chicken bones, fish bones, people need to carefully clean the bones.
Through this case, Master, Doctor Nguyen Huu Ky Phuong - Deputy Head of the Department of Gastroenterology, Hoan My Cuu Long Hospital - recommends that people who suspect they have choked or swallowed bones should go to medical facilities for immediate examination. Especially, during the holidays, the frequency of eating and drinking will be higher, so people need to eat and drink carefully to avoid choking on foreign objects.
When detecting any unusual health problems, even if it is just a mild but prolonged abdominal pain, people need to see a doctor soon. Absolutely do not arbitrarily swallow more food, water or treat with folk methods, because this can damage the digestive tract mucosa and make the disease worse.
