A 29-year-old Chinese man was shocked to discover that he had a 15cm ceramic spoon lodged in his intestine—five months after he accidentally swallowed it during a drunken night in Thailand, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP). Known only by his surname Yan, the man visited Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital in June, complaining of stomach discomfort and suspecting he may have ingested plastic while eating takeaway food. But doctors instead found a long spoon wedged inside his duodenum, the first section of the small intestine. Medical experts said the spoon was precariously positioned—so much so that even minor movements could have led to intestinal perforation or internal bleeding. It was then that Yan recalled his trip to Thailand in January, where he had tried to induce vomiting with a coffee spoon while intoxicated in his hotel room. The ceramic spoon was inadvertently pulled from his hand by a force in his throat and slid into his stomach, as per SCMP. After blacking out from alcohol, Yan awoke with no memory of the incident and assumed the discomfort was from vomiting. Believing the whole thing had been a dream, he carried on with his daily life after returning to Shanghai—including regular workouts—without any major symptoms. Tricky operation Doctors said the position and slick surface of the spoon made removal difficult. On June 18, an endoscopic surgery was performed to retrieve the object. Initial attempts using snare forceps failed, prompting Zhou Hongping, director of the endoscopy centre, to switch tactics. His team used two types of forceps to first reposition the spoon into the stomach before successfully extracting it. The entire operation took 90 minutes. Yan has since been discharged and expressed his gratitude that the spoon was discovered before any serious damage occurred. (With inputs from South China Morning Post)
