On June 21, the Giong Rieng District Medical Center (Kien Giang Province) announced that doctors there had just performed an endoscopy to remove a foreign object, a perch, that had penetrated deep into the patient's lower throat. Previously, Mr. T. (55 years old, residing in Kien Giang) was hospitalized in a state of severe bleeding from the throat.

Mr. T's family said that while fishing and caught a perch, Mr. T accidentally opened his mouth and suddenly the fish jumped out of his hand, fell into his mouth and went down his throat.

The family tried every way to get it out, but because the fish had gills and hard fins, it got stuck in the patient's throat, causing more serious damage to the patient's throat and a lot of bleeding.

Doctors at the Giong Rieng District Medical Center quickly examined the foreign object, the extent of the injury, and its location to determine the correct treatment. Doctors then removed the fish from the patient’s throat and performed an endoscopy to monitor the patient’s wound.

After removing the fish, due to severe throat damage, the patient was in so much pain that he could not swallow. The doctor gave him IV fluids, painkillers, and blood-clotting drugs to help him recover gradually. Only then could he eat soft foods. After 3 days of treatment, the patient recovered.

Doctor CK1 Nguyen Hoang Quy, Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Giong Rieng District Medical Center, said that patients with foreign objects that injure their throats (like Mr. T. who had a perch stuck in his throat) should eat soft foods and avoid hot foods after being discharged from the hospital to help the wound heal quickly.

Le Trang