The old man had to have his left lobe of his liver removed due to his habit of chewing toothpicks after eating.

GĐXH - At the hospital, the CT scan results showed that the abscess in the left lobe of the liver had grown to over 10cm, with a foreign object stuck inside. This was the cause of the patient's prolonged infection.

On March 10, the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases announced that doctors at this unit had recently successfully performed surgery to remove a 5cm long bamboo toothpick stuck in the liver of an elderly patient.

Accordingly, patient NTĐ. (77 years old in Hanoi) has a history of diabetes, hypertension and ischemic heart disease, and is currently being treated with prescription medication. About a month ago, the patient had a continuous fever accompanied by persistent abdominal pain of unknown cause. His family took him to a medical facility for examination, then transferred him to the Hepatobiliary-Digestive Surgery Center, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases for in-depth examination.

Here, doctors conducted a comprehensive assessment of the patient's condition. The results of the computed tomography (CT) scan showed that the abscess in the left lobe of the liver had grown to over 10cm, with a foreign object stuck inside - the cause of the prolonged infection.

Doctors examine patients. Photo: BVCC.

Dr. Nguyen Minh Trong, Director of the Center for Hepatobiliary and Digestive Surgery, said: After careful consideration, the doctors decided to perform laparoscopic surgery to remove the left lobe of the liver to remove the foreign object and treat the abscess, preventing possible dangerous complications.

During the surgery, the doctors discovered a large abscess, more than 10 cm in diameter, located in the left lobe of the liver and attached to the small curvature of the stomach. Inside was a bamboo toothpick about 5 cm long, deeply embedded in the liver parenchyma. The doctors removed the left lobe of the liver along with the abscess and removed the foreign object. After the surgery, the patient was alert, stable and recovered quickly.

Doctors said that, according to the patient, he had a habit of holding a bamboo toothpick in his mouth after eating, even when going to bed. This caused him to accidentally swallow the toothpick without realizing it. Because it is small, sharp and hard, the bamboo toothpick can easily pierce the stomach wall, then move to the liver, small intestine or colon.

Dr. Nguyen Minh Trong said that if not intervened promptly, the patient may face many dangerous complications such as widespread liver abscess, rupture into the abdominal cavity, causing severe peritonitis.

In addition, sepsis is also a major risk, especially in elderly patients with underlying diseases. If the foreign body continues to move, it can cause perforation of the small intestine or colon, leading to peritonitis and intestinal obstruction.

On the other hand, widespread liver damage can also seriously affect liver function in the long term. In addition to bamboo toothpicks, other foreign objects such as fish bones, chicken bones, pins or small pieces of metal can also cause dangerous consequences if not detected and treated promptly.

The patient had to have the left lobe of his liver removed to remove the foreign object and treat the abscess. Photo: BVCC.

To avoid the risk of swallowing foreign objects and unfortunate consequences, doctors recommend that people do not hold bamboo toothpicks in their mouths after eating, especially when lying down or sleeping; chew thoroughly before swallowing, avoid laughing, talking, watching TV or using the phone while eating to limit the risk of choking on foreign objects.

In case of suspected foreign body ingestion, absolutely do not poke your throat because this can cause the foreign body to penetrate deeper into the mucosa or move to a dangerous position. In particular, absolutely do not apply folk methods such as drinking vinegar or eating hot rice to try to push the foreign body down because it can cause the foreign body to penetrate deeper and cause serious damage.

When experiencing symptoms of prolonged abdominal pain and fever of unknown cause, you should go to a medical facility immediately for examination and timely treatment to avoid possible complications.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/cu-ong-o-ha-noi-phai-cat-thuy-gan-trai-do-thoi-quen-sau-khi-an-cua-nhieu-nguoi-viet-172250310151355203.htm