Thai man’s toothbrush with danger, nearly chokes to death

A Thai man accidentally swallowed a toothbrush and almost choked to death while brushing his teeth last night. The victim is now safe after a doctor managed to remove the toothbrush from his throat.

Ruamkatanyu Rescue Foundation was alerted to the emergency incident at around 9pm yesterday, June 12, and rushed to the scene at a rented room in Soi King Kaew 58 in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan province.

Upon arrival, rescuers found the victim, 56 year old Sinam, lying on the floor covered in blood drops and stains. A bloody toothbrush was found near his body.

Sinam’s family members told the rescue team that Sinam was brushing his teeth and felt like he wanted to vomit. He felt uncomfortable but was unable to throw up. He then inserted the toothbrush into his throat, aiming to induce vomiting.

Unfortunately, he accidentally swallowed the brush. He attempted to use another toothbrush, which was found on the floor, to pull out the one he swallowed. He even asked his family members to help him retrieve the brush but to no avail.

Blood gushed out of his throat but the brush remained inside. The more they attempted to pull the toothbrush out, the deeper it went into Sinam’s throat.

The rescue team checked on Sinam and found that the toothbrush was too deep for them to remove. For Sinam’s safety, the rescue team took him to Ban Phli Hospital for further treatment.

A female doctor, Ratchawan Jerdsermanan, reported that Sinam was able to talk and breathe. His blood oxygen level was normal, and other body systems functioned normally when he arrived at the hospital.

Ratchawan explained that the toothbrush was lodged deep in his throat but she managed to remove it with tweezers. Sinam did not have any side effects and had no bleeding or wounds in his throat, so Ratchawan allowed him to return home.

The doctor added that his throat was initially bleeding when he and his family attempted to remove the brush because the tissue in the organ was irritated.