Man, 29, has a toothpick removed from his HEART after swallowing it by accident while drinking alcohol

A man in China has had a toothpick removed from his heart after allegedly swallowing the sharp object by accident while out drinking. 

The 29-year-old patient, known by his surname Zhou, told reporters he had the habit of putting a toothpick in his drinking glass to differentiate it from the others', but he had likely swallowed the toothpick along with the alcohol one day a few years ago.

Doctors said the toothpick, six centimetres (2.4 inches) long, was found in Mr Zhou's right atrium. It is believed that the toothpick had been drawn into the man's air passage and pierced through the wall of his right lung before sticking into his heart.

Surgeons in the city of Nanning in southern China's Guangxi Province made the shocking discovery by accident when they were performing an open-chest operation on the patient on January 9, according to Nanning Evening News. 

It is reported that Mr Zhou started to suffer from poor health about three to four years ago and had spent more than 200,000 yuan (£22,700) on seeking medical advice. 

He had suffered from regular lung inflammation and high fever, but doctors had never been able to treat her illnesses properly. 

Some doctors told him he had sepsis while others claimed he had leukaemia.  

Last month, Mr Zhou went to the People's Hospital of Guangxi Autonomous region, hoping the doctors could give him an accurate diagnosis. He had just had a high fever reaching 40 degrees Celsius. 

Upon examination, doctors found abnormal shadow in Mr Zhou's right lung and 'excessive growth' in his right atrium. They decided to carry out surgery to treat the growth. To their surprise, they saw a toothpick stuck in his heart. 

Speaking to Guangxi TV Station, Mr Zhou said he couldn't remember exactly when he had swallow the toothpick, but it most likely happened when he was drinking. 

He said he was used to putting a toothpick in the drink to help identify his glass. Apparently he had swallowed a toothpick by accident once before but had been lucky to retrieve it in time.

He described the previous experience to reporters: '(The toothpick) followed the alcohol to my throat and got stuck there, then I immediately used my hand to pick it out.' 

Dr Wen Zhaohui, a deputy director at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the hospital, told reporters that it was rare to see a foreign object in a patient's heart and such condition could be difficult to diagnose. 

If the condition is not treated properly and in time, the patient could suffer from repeated inflammation in their heart and respiratory system.

Dr Wen said Mr Zhou had been lucky to survive the ordeal without any serious consequences. 

Source: dailymail.co.uk

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