Doctors operate on boy, remove toothbrush stuck in throat

PUDUCHERRY: A team of surgeons from Mahatma Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Dental Sciences (MGPGIDS), a Puducherry govt institution, saved the life of a 14-year-old boy by performing a surgical procedure to remove a toothbrush stuck near his throat after his brother playfully patted him on the back of his head as he was brushing his teeth.
The bristles had pierced the tissue in the cheek area and could not be simply pulled out.The boy identified as S Deebesh, son of Suresh, a farmer from Kiliyanur, Villupuram district was gasping for breath with the toothbrush stuck near his throat when he was admitted to the institute on Saturday. A team of doctors, on June 8, led by MGPGIDS dean Dr S P K Kennedy Babu and professor, and head (oral and maxillofacial surgery) Dr K Shankar performed a complicated explorative surgical procedure under local anaesthesia for about 45 minutes to remove the toothbrush. “The whole front part of the toothbrush had pierced the tissue near the boy’s throat,” said Dr Babu.
“We performed an emergency exploratory surgical procedure and removed the toothbrush without causing any damage,” he said.
If it had not been treated immediately, the affected area would have swelled and damaged the windpipe, suffocating the boy to death. The boy was brought on time. He recovered quickly post-surgery. He was discharged the same day,” he said.
Dr Babu advised people not to brush while driving, talking over the phone or playing to prevent such freak accidents. “A simple toothbrush may injure people if not used prudently,” he said.