Fish bones stuck in the throat, what would you do?
A. Drink vinegar
B. Swallow the steamed rice and swallow it
C. Cut by hand
D. Going to the hospital
If you don't choose D, beware!
Recently, when Mr. Chen, 45 years old in Guangzhou, drank fish soup, he did not seek medical treatment in time because of a fish thorn stuck in his throat, and suddenly began to vomit blood after 3 days, and he died after being sent to the hospital.
On the evening of July 30, after Mr. Chen returned home from work, he was so thirsty that he drank the fish head soup cooked by his wife in a few bites.
He immediately felt a sharp pain in his throat.
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
Is it stuck with the fish bones?
He quickly ate a few bites of rice and drank vinegar again, but it did not improve at all.
His wife urged him to go to the hospital to see, and he was worried that there was a risk of seeking medical treatment during the epidemic, so he did not go.
After 3 days of this delay, the pain has not been alleviated.
On the evening of August 2, Mr. Chen suddenly began to vomit blood, vomiting once every hour, and each vomit was a large bowl.
At 2 a.m., he rushed to the emergency department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine.
Professor Wang Jiyong, director of cardiothoracic surgery, said that a fish spine nearly 4 centimeters long was stuck in the upper part of Mr. Chen's esophagus, and had already pierced the esophagus and pierced the thoracic aorta, which was the reason why Mr. Chen vomited blood.
After Mr. Chen arrived at the hospital, he still kept vomiting blood, and the doctors did not care about doing nucleic acid testing for him, and immediately intubated him with artificial respiration and a large number of blood transfusions.
However, after the doctor's full rescue, he could not save Mr. Chen's life.
He died on the evening of August 3 at the age of 45, leaving behind two minor children.
The fish bones in the fish head are relatively large and hard, which is one of the main reasons for Mr. Chen's tragedy.
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
Even if the small fish bones are stuck, the risk of causing heavy bleeding and even death is still relatively small.
In addition to large fish bones, some chicken bones, duck bones, small lamb ribs, etc., may also be stuck in the esophagus. Because they are relatively hard, they will gradually corrode, pierce the esophagus and aorta, and even cause fatal injuries.
Don't believe it! Fish bones and broken bones really have such power!
Similar reports are reported almost every year.
Swallowed by a fish thorn or broken bone, the 3 parts of the esophagus that are most likely to get stuck are the 3 physiological narrowness of the esophagus.
Getting stuck in the esophageal second physiological stenosis is the most dangerous, which is close to the aortic arch.
Clinically, there are also cases of fish spines that, after swallowing into the stomach, pierce the stomach and injure abdominal organs (such as the pancreas) [1], but this is very unlikely.
Swallowing rice and drinking vinegar is not completely useless, otherwise it would not have been passed down as a "magic recipe" to this day.
Small fish bones are made from earthenware such as steamed buns, rice, or vinegar, and if you are lucky, you can also take the small fish bones down.
If you're unlucky, it might be
What's even more frightening is that it might be like this!
(All made by yourself)
However, it must be reminded that:
If you swallow a relatively large fish bone or broken bone, feel pain in the throat, esophagus and other parts, and cannot be relieved by simple methods such as coughing and drinking water, you must go to the hospital as soon as possible.
When you are just stuck with a fish bone, the doctor can usually take it out relatively easily, and the risk of complications is not high.
However, if you use the soil method indiscriminately, it will only make the fish bones deeper and deeper, and it will be difficult to remove.
Tips
Fish bones stuck in the throat three steps
The first step is to try coughing to see if you can make the fish spines fall off.
If the spines are small, try coughing vigorously, and the tiny spines may fall off with the airflow.
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
The second step, the visible fish bones, let the family try to take them with tweezers.
Ask your family to look at it with a flashlight, and if you are stuck in a shallow position that can be seen by the naked eye, you can try to use tweezers to help you clip it out.
The third step is to go to the hospital quickly!
If you can't cough up, your family is still shaking and don't dare to get started, so go to the hospital to get it!
Review expert: Wang Jiyong | Director and Professor of cardiothoracic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
bibliography:
Yu Yongquan, Zhang Hongsheng, Li Chuanbao. A case of pancreatic infection caused by the penetration of a foreign body of fish thorns through the stomach wall and pancreas[J]. Chinese Journal of Pancreatic Disease, 2019, 19(5):373-376.
*The content of this article is a popularization of health knowledge and cannot be used as a specific diagnosis and treatment recommendation, nor is it a substitute for face-to-face consultation by a practicing physician, for reference only.
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