Rare Medical Case Resolved at MKCG Hospital

Bhubaneswar:  In a rare and challenging medical case, doctors at the MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur successfully removed a 23-centimetre-long teeth-cleaning twig (locally known as dantakathi) lodged inside the food pipe of a 70-year-old man. The surgery was performed under the leadership of Dr. Sanjit Kumar Mishra, Head of the ENT Department.

The patient, identified as Kamaraju Nayak from Natanga village in Belaguntha block of Ganjam district, had accidentally swallowed the twig while brushing his teeth. Initially, his family members dismissed his claims, but as his condition worsened and he struggled to eat or carry out daily activities, they rushed him to Bhanjanagar hospital.

For nearly a week, Nayak survived only on liquids as swallowing solid food became impossible. With no improvement, his family brought him to MKCG Hospital’s ENT department on Tuesday. Following a series of tests, doctors confirmed the presence of the foreign object inside his oesophagus.

On Wednesday morning, a specialized medical team consisting of Dr. Sarita Das, Dr. Prabir Keshari Pradhan, Dr. Swati Swaroop, Dr. Sarita Marandi, along with anesthesiologists Dr. Bipin Mallik and Dr. Anup Harichandan, performed an hour-long surgery using the oesophagoscope method. The operation was successful, and the twig was carefully removed without further complications.

Hospital sources confirmed that the patient is now stable and under medical observation.