Mumbai: Man accidentally swallows 19 cm toothbrush while brushing teeth, doctors remove it through endoscopy

It looked to be business as usual for rickshaw driver Rajendra Malusare who on September 29 awoke at his usual time at home and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth Malusare lives in Shiravali village near the PenKhopoli RdYet what seemed to be a routine morning took a scary turn when the 53yearold accidentally swallowed his toothbrush while brushing his teeth Said Malusare ldquoI brush my teeth and used to clean my tongue too using the toothbrush Suddenly the brush I was using on my tongue slipped and went down my throat It had gone some way and I was trying to remove it but in vain I shouted my voice did not come out strongly for help and fortunately my daughter arrived to see what was the matter I explained through actions what had happened and my daughter tried to remove the brush putting a hand inside my mouth Yet she could not Minutes went by with both of us trying to remove the toothbrushrdquoThe toothbrush that Rajendra Malusare swallowedUnusualThough scared the family kept their wits and finally rushed to a neighbours home who took them to a doctor After visiting one doctors clinic the toothbrush remained lodged and Malusare was taken to the Medicovers Hospital in Navi MumbaiAn image of the toothbrush lodged in the stomach PICSBY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTldquoThis was a very unusual medical emergencyrdquo said the medical team at a press conference held at the Medicover Hospitals in Navi Mumbai yesterday Tuesday morning A team led by Dr Raosaheb Rathod Consultant Gastroenterologist Hepatologist and Therapeutic Endoscopist at Medicover Hospitals Navi Mumbai swung into actionInjurySaid Dr Rathod at the conference ldquoThe patient reached Medicover Hospitals approximately three to four hours after swallowing the toothbrush with mild abdominal pain Given the unusual nature of the incident we conducted further evaluation and an endoscopy confirmed that a 19 cm approximately 7 inches toothbrush was lodged inside the patients stomach A toothbrush is a long rigid object that can be difficult to manoeuvre through the digestive tract and may cause injury or become stuck at its narrower passagesrdquoDr Raosaheb Rathod holds the toothbrush in his hand as patient Rajendra Malusare and Sandip Joshi Medicover Hospitals Centre Head look onChallengingDr Rathod added ldquoWe planned to remove it through a 30minute endoscopic procedure The procedure was challenging because the toothbrush was hard straight and lying horizontally in the stomach making it difficult to grasp and manoeuvre through the natural curves of the digestive tract We used a hood attached to the tip of the endoscope to hold one end of the toothbrush and carefully pull it outThe patient was under Short General Anesthesia However it became stuck at the gastroesophageal junction where the stomach meets the food pipe Through repeated manoeuvres and changes in the patientrsquos position we managed to guide it past this junction The toothbrush then became stuck near the upper oesophageal sphincter and postcricoid region in the throat Since the object was rigid and could not bend to follow the natural curves of the food pipe removing it required further careful manoeuvring before we could successfully extract it intact through the mouthrdquoGratefulA followup endoscopy confirmed that there was no injury to the upper or lower oesophageal sphincters The patientrsquos symptoms improved and after observation in the recovery room he was discharged in stable condition within three to four hours of the procedureThanking the doctors and all his wellwishers including his family of wife and two daughters Malusare said ldquoI was taken into the Operation Theatre OT at 240 pm that day and home by late evening I am so thankful for the good outcome Today I use the toothbrush only to clean my teeth not my tongue I was scared I would be unable to breathe when this happened I am thankful to God and everybody else who helped me that I can see another Diwalirdquo he concluded Doc talkDoctors said that many people accidentally swallow fish bones toothpicks or even chikoo seeds and need immediate attention However swallowing an entire toothbrush is a rare and frightening incident Delayed treatment can raise the chances of complications such as gut lumen obstruction and perforationDoctors advise people who accidentally swallow a toothbrush or another large foreign object to seek immediate medical attention rather than attempting home remedies Inducing vomiting or trying to push the object down with food may cause injury to the throat or food pipe bleeding or cause the object to become more firmly lodged Timely intervention is key to ensuring patient safety