Doctors in New Zealand who misplaced an elderly patient's false teeth during surgery found them four days later, lodged in his throat.
The 81-year-old man went in to hospital for back surgery in February 2005 and his upper denture was removed before the operation, said a Health and Disability Commission report.
Somehow the false teeth got back into his mouth, though no one admitted putting them there and, according to a nurse, there was "no way" the heavily sedated man could have put them back himself.
Even though the man complained of "extreme pain" after the operation and nurses noticed he was "very chesty", no suspicions were raised.
It was only after he stopped breathing two days later that doctors put a laryngoscope down the man's throat and found his dentures. They removed the teeth and resuscitated him.
Experts reviewing the case said an underlying neurological condition allowed the man to have his teeth stuck down his throat without gagging.
No comments:
Post a Comment