Xiao Zhu, six, became impaled on a lollipop which penetrated through the back of his mouth and into his brain when he tripped and fell in a street in Guangdong, China
A young boy was impaled by a lollipop which became lodged in his brain when he fell over in the street, and it penetrated through the back of his mouth.
The sweet treat Xiao Zhu, six, was enjoying was attached to a bamboo stick when he suddenly took a tumble in Guangdong, China. As he fell the stick managed to penetrate his mouth and through to the base of his skull, eventually stabbing through his brain. His mother was unaware at the time how serious her son’s condition was, but rushed him to a nearby hospital as she was concerned by his loud cries of pain.
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He was transferred to a Neurosurgery department, where he immediately underwent an operation. After several hours under the knife, doctors were able to successfully remove the stick from the back of his head.
Guo Shaolei, an associate professor of neurosurgery at the hospital, said the complex surgery had a high level of risk. Carelessness during the procedure could have led to massive bleeding or irreversible damage to his brain tissue.
During the operation, Guo Shaolei operated carefully and avoided important nerves and blood vessels. There were no complications such as bleeding or an intracranial infection. Since the incident on March 26, Xiao has been discharged and allowed to go back home.
Guo reminded parents accidents are very likely to happen when children run or play with sharp objects in their mouths. He also advised parents to learn basic first aid, so they could be prepared in the event of an accident.
Earlier this week it was reported a little girl “will never be the same” after she had half her skull removed in major surgery following a freak garden trampoline accident. Aaliyah Rashid was enjoying some fun with her young nephew when disaster struck.
The 10-year-old was bouncing on the trampoline before she attempted a ‘flip’ and hit her head. She was rushed to hospital after having a stroke and her brain was so swollen that medics had to cut out half of her skull to keep her alive.
Her sister Sinead Watret, 22, issued a warning about the dangers of trampolines, after hospital staff told of the large number of children brought in with injuries after playing on them.
The accident happened on March 10, and Aaliyah was taken first to hospital in Durham before she was rushed to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle for six hours of surgery.