Surgeons remove chopstick punctured through face

Cai Wenjun
A life of 29-year-old man whose lower face was punctured through with a chopstick during a fight has been saved by Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital.
Cai Wenjun

A life of 29-year-old man whose lower face was punctured through with a chopstick during a fight has been saved by Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital.

The chopstick entered the left ear of the patient surnamed Xue and reached his oropharynx. Fortunately, the chopstick was about one milliliter away from a major artery and vein, doctors said after CT scanning.

After a careful check and evaluation, doctors from multiple departments conducted surgery.

"Since the chopstick was in a deep position and close to the skull base, there were many important blood vessels in the place," said Dr Shi Runjie, director of the hospital's ENT department.

"There are many important blood vessels in the place. If removing it directly, there is risk of serious blooding. The normal process should make a big incision and remove important structures like lower jawbone. After discussion, we decided to use an endoscope as assistance to reduce the surgical incision and expose the chopstick to separate nearby important blood vessels to reduce harm to the patient by the largest extent."

Surgeons remove chopstick punctured through face
Ti Gong

A CT scan on the injured area.

Through close cooperation, doctors finally removed the chopstick by a minimally invasive measure without damages to important blood vessels, nerves and muscles. So far, the patient has been in stable condition and will be released soon.

Doctors said people should remain calm if they suffer trauma.

"Wash the wound with clean water to remove dirt and odd things on the surface and then disinfect with alcohol or iodophor while avoiding touching the open wound," Shi said.

"If there is odd items like glass and metal inserted in the wound, please remain stable to avoid further injury. It is important not to remove these items by yourself, since there is a risk of big bleeding.

"If having injury on the face and head, people may suffer vomiting, nausea and faint. It is critical to call the emergency medical service as soon as possible."


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