Professional athlete, 18, nearly bleeds to death after swallowing a TOOTHPICK which punctured his intestine and stayed there for three weeks

February 2, 2019 20:30

A professional athlete nearly died when he swallowed a toothpick and it became lodged in his intestine and punctured an artery.

The 18-year-old in Boston, Massachusetts, lived with the 7.5cm (three inches) long wooden spike in his internal organs for three weeks before doctors found it.

While travelling to train with his team the man went to hospital after developing pain in his stomach and back, a fever, nausea and diarrhoea with blood in it.

Medics couldn't find anything the first time he went to a hospital, but 20 days later they discovered the toothpick which, when removed, triggered 'life-threatening bleeding'.

A report from the Massachusetts General Hospital revealed the luck escape of the teenager, whose name, sport and team are unknown.

At one point he had a body temperature of 40.6°C (105.08°F) – far higher than the threshold for a fever (38°C/100.4°F).

He had pain in his back and side, lost his appetite and repeatedly found blood in his faeces, according to the report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Some 20 days after he first saw a doctor the man was admitted to Massachusetts General in Boston.

Doctors did various tests and discovered the toothpick was in his large intestine, 25cm (nine inches) away from his rectum.

He had no memory of swallowing the stick but it had perforated his bowel and, when removed, it triggered 'life-threatening bleeding'.

Dr Martin Rosenthal said in the report: 'Because of life-threatening bleeding, the patient was urgently taken to a hybrid operating room, which is equipped with a variety of advanced medical devices.'

Surgeons then stemmed the bleeding from the artery and operated to repair his colon.

As well as the stick, the man had a blood infection caused by the bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae, which usually live in the gut but cause illness when they leak out.

After two surgeries, antibiotics and 10 days in hospital, he made a good enough recovery to go home, with another three weeks' worth of antibiotics.

Dr Fabian Scheid, who helped treat the patient, said: 'The patient did well after surgery and was discharged on the 10th hospital day, six days after the second surgery.

'At the time of discharge, he was able to walk without assistance.'

He added: 'At the direction of the team’s internist, additional follow-up was arranged with the physical therapy, vascular surgery, general surgery, and infectious disease services.'

The man managed to get back to exercising after six weeks and, seven months, later played in his first professional game – although the journal did not reveal which sport.

'He continues to have a substantial role in his sport,' the report said.

The doctors warned the severity of the man's injuries was not unusual and swallowing toothpicks carries a high risk of complications.

There is a 79 per cent chance of puncturing an internal tissue, and a 10 per chance of dying, the report said.