Wisconsin man has emergency op to remove silver dentures from LUNG after swallowing them
Tough grill to swallow! Epilepsy man, 22, needs emergency surgery to remove silver-plated dentures from his LUNGS after swallowing them in the wrong pipe during a seizure
A Wisconsin man narrowly escaped death after swallowing his silver-plated dentures.
The 22-year-old was wearing the silver row of ‘grillz’ when he had an epileptic fit and accidentally swallowed them through the wrong pipe.
Instead of going down the esophagus to the digestive system, it got stuck in the passageway to his lung.
An unnamed 22-year-old man from Wisconsin swallowed a piece of his silver-plated dentures after suffering an epileptic seizure. The accomplice had to be removed with a bronchoscopy
The patient was wearing silver-plated dentures when he had an attack
Part of the denture was lodged in the patient’s right trunk bronchus, an airway to the lungs. This caused coughing and severe wheezing
The man sought medical attention after suffering from coughing and wheezing.
X-ray scans revealed that a 4 cm piece of his denture was lodged in the right main bronchus, an airway to his lung.
Doctors rushed to him for a bronchoscopy in an attempt to remove the object. In this procedure, a thin, lighted tube called a bronchoscope is passed through the airway to dislodge the accomplice.
The patient was discharged after the procedure and a course of steroids.
This isn’t the first time dental accessories have gotten stuck in someone’s body.
a Case Study 2019describes, for example, a 72-year-old British man who swallowed his dentures after minor abdominal surgery.
Earlier that year, a 50-year-old man had a similar incident during sedation.
In addition, in 2015, a 55-year-old Indian man realized that he had swallowed part of his dentures after a seizure while sleeping. The edge of the denture was lodged in the wall of his esophagus.
If someone has a seizure, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommend putting them on the floor, turning them to one side to help them breathe, and clearing the person of anything hard or sharp. Don’t try to stop them or put anything in their mouth.
Seizures can affect different parts of the brain and result in different symptoms. Many people lose consciousness, their bodies tremble or stiffen. There is also the risk of throwing your head back and biting your tongue.
Epilepsy affects 3.4 million people in the US and 50 million worldwide, according to the Epilepsy Foundation.