The Department of On-Demand and International Examination, E Hospital, has just received a 60-year-old patient in Hanoi in a state of bloating, severe pain and tightness in the neck and chest area, prolonged choking, unable to eat or drink.
According to Dr. Vu Hong Anh, Deputy Director of E Hospital, Head of the Department of On-Demand and International Examination, through historical investigation, the patient had a coronary stent and had to use cardiovascular drugs and anticoagulants daily. Due to the habit of cutting each pill out of the blister to divide according to the daily dose, in one drug use, the patient accidentally swallowed a whole pill with the blister shell still intact.
After examination and endoscopy, Dr. Vu Hong Anh directly performed the procedure of removing the esophagus foreign object. The doctor used specialized instruments with scopes/protective bags to cover all sharp edges of the blister pack, then safely removed the foreign object, limiting the risk of scratching or causing perforation of the esophagus mucosa.
According to doctors, foreign objects with sharp edges like medicine blister shells, if not treated promptly, can deeply penetrate the esophageal wall, causing ulcers, esophageal perforation, mediastinum abscesses, or major blood vessel damage, even life-threatening. In case the foreign object falls into the digestive tract, the patient is still at risk of stomach or intestinal perforation.
To prevent similar accidents, doctors recommend that people, especially the elderly, people with poor eyesight or who have to use many types of medicine, need to focus when taking medicine, remove each pill from the blister and check carefully before use.
If unfortunately swallowing a foreign object, patients should not try to swallow more rice or food or use their hands to hook their throat to push the foreign object down. These treatments can cause the foreign object to protrude deeper, increasing the risk of digestive tract damage. Patients need to quickly go to a medical facility with an endoscopic specialist for examination and safe treatment.
