Woman uses 'backward stroking' method to avoid going to hospital for bone stuck

The consequence of this bone treatment was that the patient had an infection and abscess in the neck area, then had to go to the hospital for surgery to remove the foreign object and treat the infection in the esophagus.

On August 19, information from Can Tho ENT Hospital said that Ms. LTG (60 years old, in Tra On commune, Vinh Long province), a patient, was transferred to Can Tho ENT Hospital in a state of neck pain and swelling, difficulty swallowing, difficulty eating and drinking.

The initial diagnosis was respiratory inflammation - esophageal abscess suspected to be caused by a bone stuck in the throat. The CT scan results showed that there was a thin bone density structure (about 28mm in size), suspected to be a foreign body lying horizontally in the esophagus, neck and through the wall. There were several fluid collections suspected to be abscesses and infections in the surrounding area.

After taking pictures to determine the location of the foreign object and performing related tests, the surgical team at Can Tho ENT Hospital decided to perform open surgery next to the neck area to place a drainage tube to treat the abscesses and use a rigid endoscope to remove the foreign object for the patient.

The removed foreign object was a V-shaped piece of bone (like a duck bone), about 3.5cm long. The bone piece had been in the esophagus for a long time, causing scratches in the esophagus and surrounding abscesses.

According to the family, about three days before being admitted to the hospital, the patient ate fish soup, duck porridge... then felt something stuck in his throat and had a sore throat. Thinking it was a common bone stuck in his throat, he did not go to the hospital immediately, but instead used folk remedies, asking someone who was "breech" to rub his neck.

However, not only did the bone not come down, but on the third day, the neck swelled, the pain in swallowing increased, and he could not eat or drink, so his family took him to the hospital.

Doctor Ho Le Hoai Nhan - Deputy Director of Can Tho ENT Hospital - said that after one day of surgery, Mrs. G's condition was stable: alert, able to communicate, and still had pain at the surgical site. Due to the surgery to remove a foreign object in the esophagus, the patient was given a feeding tube through the stomach and continued to be monitored.

"When eating, everyone needs to pay attention to avoid getting a bone stuck or swallowing a foreign object (especially the elderly and children). When you discover that you have a bone stuck or swallowed a foreign object, or have signs of pain or difficulty swallowing... you need to go to a medical facility immediately for examination. Avoid using folk methods to treat or remove it yourself, as this can lead to infection or push the foreign object deeper," Dr. Nhan advised.