03 March 2024 , 09:13
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A man struggling to swallow headed to the hospital for answers - and doctors told him he had an octopus lodged in his oesophagus.
The half-eaten sea creature was clogging up his throat and they made the shocking discovery after the 55-year-old was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore. He paid a visit after eating a meal that included the eight-limbed animal, and it soon became clear what the problem was.
The unnamed patient told them that he started vomiting immediately after eating the meal. The oesophagus, a muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach, was blocked and health experts carried out a computed tomography scan on the patient, revealing a hyperdense mass in his windpipe.
An OesophagoGastroDuodenoscopy (OCD) was performed on the patient, showing the octopus complete with its suckers stuck 5cm from the gastroesophageal junction. However, the medical team’s initial attempts at extracting the creature were unsuccessful. Eventually, the endoscope was carefully manoeuvred past the mass into the stomach and retroflexed.
He had to spend days in hospital but made a full recovery after surgery (Jam Press/AGA Institute)Doctors then used forceps to grasp the head of the octopus to extract it. The patient recovered quickly from the procedure and was discharged two days later. Medics said food blockages are one of the most common problems they encounter in their work at the hospital.
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They said the food bolus issues will pass spontaneously in 80 to 90% of cases. Endoscopic management will be needed in between 10 and 20% of cases while less than 1% require surgery. They confirmed: “The ‘push technique’ is the primary method recommended with high success rates, however applying excessive force can cause oesophageal perforation.”
It's not the only odd find doctors have made. One was shocked to discover a man had swallowed an entire mobile phone after he underwent an X-ray for abdominal pains. The patient confessed to ingesting the device six months before the scan - but was too embarrassed to seek help at the time.
(Jam Press/AGA Institute)He hoped the device would naturally leave his body, however, it, unfortunately, became wedged in his stomach. It blocked food from passing through him properly for half a year and caused life-threatening injuries that needed immediate surgery. The operation took place at Aswan University Hospital in the city of Aswan, Egypt.
Doctors said they were stunned to discover the mobile phone while treating the man for intestinal and abdominal infections after he turned up complaining of tummy pains. Mohamed El-Dahshoury, chairman of the board of directors of Aswan University Hospitals, said it was the first time they had seen such a case in which a patient had swallowed an entire telephone, according to United Arab Emirates media outlet Gulf Today.