Doctors remove stomach from man who drank toilet cleaner
A 53-year-old man from Can Tho, Vietnam, lost his entire stomach and suffered severe burns to his mouth and throat after accidentally drinking toilet cleaner.
Doctors at Viet Duc University Hospital in Hanoi shared more about the rare and complex case on Sunday (23 Aug).
They said that they had to undertake reconstructive surgery to restore the patient’s ability to eat and swallow.
Chemical burns destroyed digestive tract
The accident reportedly happened about a year ago.
According to doctors, the corrosive liquid damaged his oral cavity and lower pharyngeal region.
His entire stomach also became necrotic and had to be removed to save his life.
Source: Việt Đức University Hospital via Lao Dong
After spending about two months in intensive care, he was transferred to Viet Duc University Hospital for further treatment.
Surgeons created new food passage
To restore his ability to consume food normally, doctors then performed a five-hour reconstruction procedure.
They did so with specialists from the National Otorhinolaryngology Hospital of Vietnam.
The upper end of the colon segment was connected to the right pyriform sinus, a section of the throat involved in swallowing, while the lower end was attached to the small intestine.
Source: Việt Đức University Hospital via Vietnam News
Doctors monitored three surgical connection points after the operation: between the colon and pyriform sinus, between the colon and small intestine, and the remaining colon site where the segment was removed.
The procedure aimed to restore swallowing function, allow food to pass through the digestive system again and reduce the risk of complications.
Patient slowly regaining ability to eat
One month after the surgery, all three surgical connections had healed securely.
This allowed the patient to begin rehabilitation and practise swallowing.
After nearly two months of recovery and swallowing rehabilitation, the patient has resumed the ability to drink water independently and is gradually relearning to eat.
Also read: Man in Thailand mistakes toilet cleaner for soda, goes into shock & dies hours after drinking it
Man in Thailand mistakes toilet cleaner for soda, goes into shock & dies hours after drinking it
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Featured image adapted from Vietnam News and Pavel Muravev on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
