A male star had a fish bone stuck in his esophagus, so he immediately drank vinegar or ate steamed buns? Both wrong! Here’s the answer…

Expert in this article: Dr. Tian Jing, attending physician at the Southern Theater Command Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Reviewer of this article: Chen Haixu, Deputy Director and Master Supervisor of the Second Medical Center of PLA General Hospital

Braised fish, pickled fish, sweet and sour fish, spicy and sour fish, pepper fish... Where are my friends who like to eat fish?

I believe many people have this concern when eating fish: accidentally putting fish bones into the mouth, and the worst thing is that they get stuck in the throat!

Recently, the well-known singer Zhang Jie mentioned on a social platform that he accidentally got a fish bone stuck in his esophagus while eating fish. He went to the hospital overnight and had the fish bone removed under endoscopic anesthesia. He also reminded everyone to be careful when eating fish.

Weibo screenshot

Are drinking vinegar and eating steamed buns effective for treating fish bones stuck in the throat? What is the scientific way to deal with it? Let me share the scientific knowledge!

What harm will a fish bone stuck in the throat cause to the body?

Fish bones stuck in the throat can damage the esophageal wall, causing a foreign body sensation and pain in the throat, making people very uncomfortable and affecting swallowing and other movements.

Adults will generally feel uncomfortable immediately when a fish bone gets stuck in their throats. However, since babies cannot speak, they will cry, have difficulty swallowing, cough, spit, pick their mouths, and refuse to eat when a fish bone gets stuck in their throats. Parents should observe and discover the problem in time.

The throat is not only the passage for the human body to swallow food, but also the exit of the human airway. There are many important large blood vessels nearby. If the fish bone penetrates further, it may puncture the blood vessels around the esophagus or even cause a false aneurysm in the heart's aorta, causing massive bleeding and endangering life.

Are methods like drinking vinegar and eating steamed buns effective?

The human esophagus is elastic, and generally very small and soft fish bones may pass directly through the esophagus into the stomach, while larger fish bones that can get stuck are usually longer and harder.

Removing fish bones by swallowing food, vomiting or inducing vomiting is not only useless, but will increase local pressure and may cause the fish bones to penetrate deeper.

Although acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, can produce a chemical reaction with calcium carbonate, the main component of bones, chemical reactions require a certain amount of time and conditions. In the process of swallowing vinegar, vinegar stimulates the mouth to secrete a large amount of saliva, which will greatly dilute the concentration of vinegar. Moreover, the swallowing process is very short, which is not enough for the two substances to fully react.

If you drink a lot of vinegar, you need to consider whether the large amount of acidic substances will cause damage to the mucous membranes of the mouth and esophagus, which will be counterproductive.

The best time to use vinegar to soften fish bones is during cooking. Soaking fish bones in vinegar and lemon juice for three to five minutes can soften them to a certain extent. Adding a little vinegar when cooking fish may soften the fish bones to a certain extent and add to the deliciousness!

How to deal with a fish bone stuck in your throat?

When a fish bone gets stuck in your throat, you should stop eating immediately. If it is a small bone, try to cough it out gently.

If you cannot cough it out, you can ask someone to help shine a flashlight to see if you can find the fishbone. If it is visible to the naked eye, you can use tweezers to remove it. If you cannot see the fishbone, it means it is stuck deep, and you should go to the hospital and ask the doctor to use professional instruments to remove it.

Is it still dangerous if I swallow a fish bone?

If a fish bone is managed to be pushed into the stomach by food, please note that not all fish bones can be digested by stomach acid. If there is an undigested fish bone in the stomach, the fish bone may pierce the liver or get stuck in the anus, making the problem more complicated.

However, if you swallow a small bone, you don't need to be particularly nervous. If you swallow a large fish bone, you need to observe whether you feel any discomfort in your body. If you feel any abnormality, seek medical attention immediately.

How to avoid fish bones stuck in the throat?

1. When choosing fish, you can choose fish with fewer bones, such as pomfret, peeled fish, etc.

2. Use special cooking methods, or remove fish bones, and make fish paste, fish balls, etc. to make it easier for the elderly to eat;

3. When eating fish with bones, you should pay close attention, chew slowly, do not talk to others, and do not eat with meals.