A two-year-old boy’s brain was impaled by a sharp wooden stick when he accidentally fell on it while eating a sausage.
According to Oriental Daily, the incident happened in Quijing City, China. The boy’s mother had bought him fried sausage from a street food stall when they were out shopping together on 20th October.
However, while he was eating it, he accidentally fell, which caused the sharp wooden stick to pierce through his throat and into his brains. The boy suffered serious injuries and was brought to the hospital where he began having high fever and breathing difficulties.
The hospital immediately sought the expertise from seven different departments to come up with a surgical plan, and successfully removed the stick in a three-hour operation.
However, the boy is still in a very fragile condition as the stick was pierced so far, it reached his medulla oblongata, located in the brain stem. He also contracted a fever caused by bacterial meningitis – an inflammation of the membranes (meninges) surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
The pediatrician said that the stick was pierced more than 5cm into the boy’s brain. It had entered his medulla oblongata which is easily the most important part of the brain.
It connects our brain and our spinal cord with most of our sensory and motor fibres, and is responsible for the regulation of breathing, heart and blood vessel function, digestion, sneezing, and swallowing.
The doctor said that if the stick had been pierced any further, the boy would most probably have died on the spot.
An oral and maxillofacial surgeon said that the surgery was not difficult, but it involved great risks including bleeding, cerebrospinal fluid leakage and intracranial infection.
Currently, the little boy is undergoing anti-infective treatment for the bacterial meningitis and has been put on a ventilator.
If you’re a parent, keep a watchful eye on them and don’t let your child hold sharp objects that could potentially cause harm to them.
Also read: Chopstick Pierces 1yo’s Brain Through Her Mouth After She Fell Down While Holding It