A X-ray photo shows a 30cm-long spatula in a woman's esophagus. (Photo/Southern Metropolis Daily)
(ECNS) -- A Chinese woman, obsessed with home remedies, has put a 30cm-long spatula down her esophagus in a failed, life-threatening attempt to cure a sore throat, Southern Metropolis Daily reported.
The woman, 31, lives in Humen of Dongguan city, South China's Guangdong province. A full-time housewife, she takes care of her four-year-old daughter while her husband runs a small business.
She said she had difficulty breathing while cooking dinner on April 10 and felt as if there was a blister inside her aching throat.
"I remember some folk remedy saying it helps to use something to unclog the throat," she explained.
The woman first tried to clear her throat with her fingers, followed by three chopsticks, which were all broken, to no effect.
In a final effort, she put an aluminum spatula directly into her mouth and forced it deep down her esophagus. The kitchen tool is about 30cm long with a handle that is about 2.5cm in diameter.
Seeing her mother in trouble, the daughter helped her into the building's elevator and asked a security guard to call for help.
The woman was first treated at the Fifth People's Hospital in Dongguan before being transferred to Kanghua Hospital for more specialized treatment.
Doctors at the Kanghua Hospital said the patient swallowed the whole handle and only had the flat blade of the spatula sticking out of her mouth.
Xiao Pu, a thoracic surgeon at the hospital, said it was a once-in-50-years case, if not 100 years.
A follow-up check found her gullet to be badly damaged while the kitchen utensil had pressed against her lung, affecting her breathing.
The woman underwent two surgeries. In the first, doctors had to remove 20cm from the 25cm-long gullet. In the second, her stomach was connected with the remaining part of the gullet, a standard procedure in the treatment of cancer of the esophagus.
Xiao also said the hospital initially thought the patient had mental health problems, but a subsequent psychological check found nothing of note.
They also found no blister inside her throat, it was added.
