Toddler Running Around During Dinner Ends Up With a Chopstick in Her Skull

According to Chinese media via AsiaOne, the chopstick pierced through the mouth of the girl and into her skull. After witnessing what happened, her parents quickly rushed the toddler to a small hospital near their home.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the family discovered that the accident was more severe than they had anticipated. The chopstick was lodged in so deep that the end of it could be felt from the back of her neck.

Seeing the result of the x-ray, doctors decided that the situation required surgery. They then referred the family to Xiangya Hospital in Central South University in Hunan province, China. Unfortunately, eight hours had already gone by in the time it took to travel from Jiangxi to Hunan.

The result from the CT scan showed that the 10 centimeter chopstick narrowly missed the vital parts of the child, including the brain stem, carotid artery, and neck vertebrae.

The doctor at the hospital said that while there was no visible bleeding from the accident, pulling the chopstick out could pose a risk of hemorrhage. They also found a problem when administering anesthesia to the girl because of the angle of the chopstick in the girl’s skull.

“It’s very fortunate that the chopstick missed her vital organs, only the soft tissue was affected,” the Ear Nose & Throat (ENT) doctor who was treating the girl at the hospital said.

Despite all the challenges the case posed, doctors continued with the surgery. Luckily, they were able to remove the chopstick and the girl was in stable condition after the operation. However, she was kept under observation for any possible complications brought on by the procedure.

Images via TVBS