Doctors in India have removed a 3.5cm chicken bone that got stuck in a man’s food pipe as he ate a curry at a wedding.

Fifteen days later, 36-year-old Kurla, East Mumbai resident Sagir Shah was unable to eat or drink as the wound heals.

Doctors at Fauziya Hospital hospital operated on 36-year-old Shah to remove the 3.5cm-long piece of chicken bone. The bone was stuck in the man’s food pipe for four days and had ruptured it.

Shah, a mason, had visited a village in Uttar Pradesh in northern India on May 3 for his nephew’s wedding.

During the function, he ate chicken curry.

A while later, Shah felt an excruciating pain in his throat.

Local doctors conducted an X-ray and told Shah that the pain would subside in a few days.

When the pain continued, he decided to come back to Mumbai for treatment.

“I didn’t feel any bone in my hands when I had the curry,” said Shah.

He can only speak softly for now, as the tissues in this food pipe are still healing.

City doctors on May 6 performed a CT scan - seen here - and found that a foreign body had ruptured his food pipe.

Dr Sanjay Helale of Fauziya Hospital said: “Nearly 50 percent of the patients who have perforations in the food pipe succumb, as the infection as spreads to other organs very rapidly.”

A team of three doctors performed a four-hour surgery by making a cut through Shah’s neck to remove the bone. The bone was stuck very close to an artery, which is connected to the brain. “It was an L-shaped bone. The food Shah had consumed, had leaked out into the region above the lungs,” said Dr Helale.

Doctors removed the food during the surgery and sutured the food pipe. Fifteen days later, Shah is unable to eat food or drink as the wound in his food pipe is filled with pus. A pipe has been inserted through his mouth that connects to his stomach, through which he is fed liquids such as juices, milk and ground rice.

He has been asked to not swallow his spit.

“Saliva contains enzymes. So it will dissolve suture material that was used, and promote infection,” said another doctor from the team which operated.

Text by Deepali Ravi Mishra

By Deepali Ravi Mishra
Doctors in India remove 3.5cm L Type bone stuck in man’s food pipe
Fifteen days later, 36-year-old Kurla Mumbai resident Sagir Shah was unable to eat or drink as the wound in his food pipe is still healing

Doctors In India at Fauziya Hospital hospital operated on a 36-year-old Kurla resident to remove a 3.5cm-long piece of chicken bone. The bone was stuck in the man’s food pipe for four days and had ruptured it.

Sagir Shah, a mason, had visited a village in Uttar Pradesh in Northen part of India on May 3 for his nephew’s wedding. During the function, he ate chicken curry. A while later, Shah felt an excruciating pain in his throat. Local doctors conducted an X-ray and told Shah that the pain would subside in a few days. When the pain continued, he decided to come back to Mumbai for treatment.

“I didn’t feel any bone in my hands when I had the curry,” said Shah. He can only speak softly for now, as the tissues in this food pipe are still healing.

City doctors on May 6 performed a CT scan and found that a foreign body had ruptured his food pipe.

Dr Sanjay Helale, head of department, ear nose throat and head and neck surgery, Fauziya Hospital, Kurla, where Shah is admitted, said, “Nearly 50% of the patients who have perforations in the food pipe succumb, as the infection as spreads to other organs very rapidly.”

A team of three doctors performed a four-hour surgery by making a cut through Shah’s neck to remove the bone. The bone was stuck very close to an artery which is connected to the brain. “It was an L-shaped bone. The food Shah had consumed, had leaked out in to the region above the lungs,” said Dr Helale.

Doctors removed the food during the surgery and sutured the food pipe. Fifteen days later, Shah is unable to eat food or drink as the wound in his food pipe is filled with pus. A pipe has been inserted through his mouth that connects to his stomach, through which he is fed liquids such as juices, milk and ground rice.
He has been asked to not swallow his spit.
“Saliva contains enzymes. So it will dissolve suture material that was used, and promote infection,” said another doctor from the team which operated.