Man Endures Eight Years with Metal Chopstick Lodged in Throat Before Surgery
A startling medical case from China reveals that a man lived for eight years with a metal chopstick stuck in his throat after swallowing it during a meal. The patient, identified only as Mr. Wang, finally underwent surgery in March 2026 to remove the five-inch utensil, which had caused increasing discomfort over time.
Initial Incident and Refusal of Treatment
According to a hospital case study published in March, the 46-year-old man, described as an alcoholic, accidentally gulped down the chopstick in 2018 while eating dinner. He sought a medical check-up shortly after the incident but refused to have it removed at that time. Wang was reportedly unwilling to undergo a procedure that would involve cutting open his neck, leading him to tolerate the foreign object for years.
Worsening Symptoms Lead to Surgery
Several weeks before the surgery, Wang experienced escalating difficulty swallowing, prompting him to visit Dalian Municipal Central Hospital in Liaoning Province for evaluation. Doctors were astonished to learn that the chopstick had been trapped in his throat for nearly a decade. Dr. Huang Weipeng, one of the surgeons involved, recounted, "He told us a chopstick was trapped in his throat. I thought it happened just now, but he said this was eight years ago."
Minimally Invasive Procedure and Recovery
Surgeons performed a minimally invasive operation to extract the chopstick through Wang's mouth, avoiding the need to slice open his neck. The hospital report noted that his vocal cords and nearby mucous membrane were fortunately not injured and functioned normally post-surgery. Wang was discharged from the hospital days later and is expected to make a full recovery, highlighting the successful outcome despite the prolonged presence of the foreign object.
This unusual case underscores the risks of delaying medical treatment and the advancements in surgical techniques that can address such complex situations without invasive methods.
