DRUNK CHINESE MAN IMPALES HIMSELF ON METAL ROD, NEEDS 10-HOUR LIFE-SAVING SURGERY
Intoxicated diner stands up, then falls, ramming metal rod into brain through mouth as shocked colleagues look on
A man in southern China who fell on a dinner table and impaled his head through his mouth on a metal rod has been miraculously saved by doctors after 10 hours of surgery.
The man, identified by the alias Aqiang, received the treatment at Shenzhen University General Hospital in Guangdong province, which shared his case on social media on April 11.
Aqiang became drunk while dining with his colleagues. When he stood up, he slipped and fell onto a table, on which a long metal rod stood.
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The rod thrust into Aqiang's mouth as his head hit the top end of it.
His colleagues, who were stunned and frightened as blood poured out of Aqiang's mouth, called the ambulance service to take him to the hospital.
Doctors said they were also surprised to receive Aqiang because his situation was quite rare.
"This foreign object carried a lot of bacteria. The path it penetrated the patient involves his mouth, eyes and brain. Any small, careless operation might lead to a fatal problem," doctors from the hospital's Trauma Centre told the local media website sznews.com.
The tip of the 40cm-long rod was lodged just 2mm away from the brain's key blood vessels, X-ray images showed.
As a result, first responding firefighters were told to cut off the outside part of the rod before surgery began.
A formidable challenge was the top of the rod which was connected with a clip, making it difficult to remove the rod without damaging the brain, eyes or mouth.
Finally, doctors managed to successfully remove the metal rod.
After the operation, Aqiang stayed in the intensive care unit for several days to battle against the infection.
He was discharged from hospital a month after surgery.
Apart from impaired vision in his right eye, his language and movement functions have not been impacted, doctors said.
"I still feel scared when thinking about the incident. I was saved by doctors. It is a blessing in a bad situation," Aqiang was quoted as saying.
His experience has drawn much interest on mainland social media.
"I am terrified by this story. What a dangerous situation he was in!" one person said.
While another online observer said: "Even in this perilous circumstance, he was still rescued. Salute to the doctors!"
"It is another vivid example which proves that drinking alcohol can be very dangerous," said a third person.
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
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2025-04-20T10:23:27Z
