Woman In England Hospitalised For A Week After Mango Seed Pierces Her Throat

A woman who ate a mango pickle was left needing urgent surgery after the seed of the fruit pierced her throat and got stuck there, according to a report in The Telegraph. The incident took place in Surrey where the woman went to the emergency department of the local Epsom Hospital, saying she was having trouble swallowing after eating the fruit. But the doctors turned away the 57-year-old woman, who has not been named. The doctors could not believe a soft fruit like mango can cause such damage.

According to The Telegraph report, a medical examination of the woman found her to be drooling and still able to swallow. The doctors also did not find any "foreign body" in the examination.

The woman was instead told that the issue could have been caused by gastritis, and was asked to return if she became more unwell, the outlet further said.

She returned after four days with signs of sepsis and was unable to swallow, said Metro. The doctors then conducted a CT scan and found an oesophageal tear and had air in her chest.

The woman then underwent emergency surgery to remove the seed and stayed in the hospital for a week, the outlet further said in its report.

The woman complained to the hospital trust about the treatment she received, which ordered an investigation. The incident prompted the hospital to release an update on the guidance for those who have been eating soft fruits.

"From something ridiculously obscure and exotic, and unlikely ever to happen again, the trust has created pragmatic and useful learning points," Metro quoted Dr Richard Jennings, chief medical officer of the hospital, as saying.

The guidelines have "potentially deadly mango" to describe the fruit that caused the incident.

The new recommendations have advised medical practitioners to explore all internal tears, not just those caused by hard foods such as chicken bones.