WARNING – GRAPHIC CONTENT: A 44-year-old man was treated at Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania where a large knife was removed from his chest, which he had been living with for eight years
Stunned doctors found a man had been living with a large knife blade lodged in his chest for eight years.
The 44-year-old went to hospital complaining of pus discharge below his right nipple and it left medics baffled as he had no other symptoms. The unnamed patient reported no chest pain, difficulty breathing, cough or fever, and his vital signs were understood to be completely normal. It left doctors stumped – and it wasn’t until the man recalled an incident which took place nearly a decade ago that they were able to put the pieces together.
During a “violent altercation”, he said he sustained multiple cuts to his face, back, chest, and abdomen, though doctors treated the wounds at the time.
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Life had been “uneventful” since, according to the patient, until he noticed pus coming from below his nipple. And then incredibly, a chest radiograph found the cause of his current ailment – a large knife blade lodged in the mid-thorax. Doctors could see the knife had entered through the right scapula, and had managed to dodge any major organs.
The knife was carefully extracted during surgery, with the pus – caused by dead tissue – drained at the same time. The man stayed in the ICU for 24 hours before being transferred to the general ward, where he remained for 10 days while doctors monitored his condition.
The case, reported by the Journal of Surgical Case Reports last month, shared that the patient – who was treated at Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania – recovered well and follow-up appointments were “uneventful”.
Meanwhile, doctors were left horrified after finding a pair of scissors inside the stomach of a woman who came to complain about constant pain in her abdomen.
The object was accidentally left inside Kamla Bai, 44, and stitched up after she had an operation on February 20, 2022. A CT scan of the area revealed the scissors had been there ever since, causing her to feel ill.
After complaining of pain, Ms Bai was seen by multiple doctors and underwent various tests at Kamla Raja Hospital in Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Her family are now demanding action against the medics involved, blaming their negligence for her ongoing pain.
Scan technician Satish Sharma confirmed a metal object was found on November 29, 2024, which turned out to be the scissors.