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In a bizarre and unsettling medical case, a 58-year-old man from Haikou, China, woke up to the horrifying sensation of something crawling up his nose—only to later discover it was a cockroach lodged in his trachea.
The incident, reported by a local news outlet, began while the man was sleeping peacefully one night. Startled by the odd feeling, he tried coughing to dislodge the intruder but eventually brushed it off and fell back asleep.
‘Unusual stale odor’
Over the next three days, the man, continuing with his usual routine, began noticing an unusual stale odor despite maintaining his oral hygiene.He also started coughing up yellow sputum, which finally prompted him to seek medical help. Initially, an ENT specialist found no signs of a foreign object in his upper respiratory tract. However, his symptoms persisted, leading him to consult Dr Lin Ling, a respiratory and critical care specialist at Hainan Hospital.
A shocking diagnosis
A chest CT scan revealed a suspicious shadow in the lower lung lobe, raising concerns about a foreign object. To investigate further, Dr Lin recommended a bronchoscopy. The results were shocking.
“During the procedure, I clearly saw something with wings in the bronchus,” Dr Lin explained to Seehua.com. “It was covered in a thick layer of phlegm, but after removing it, we identified the foreign body as a cockroach.”
Cockroach extracted from trachea
The insect was carefully extracted from the man’s trachea, and after cleaning the area thoroughly, the patient’s foul-smelling symptoms vanished. He made a full recovery and was discharged the following day.
Though rare, Dr Lin advised that anyone suspecting a foreign body lodged in their respiratory tract should seek immediate medical attention to avoid complications.
The incident, reported by a local news outlet, began while the man was sleeping peacefully one night. Startled by the odd feeling, he tried coughing to dislodge the intruder but eventually brushed it off and fell back asleep.
‘Unusual stale odor’
Over the next three days, the man, continuing with his usual routine, began noticing an unusual stale odor despite maintaining his oral hygiene.He also started coughing up yellow sputum, which finally prompted him to seek medical help. Initially, an ENT specialist found no signs of a foreign object in his upper respiratory tract. However, his symptoms persisted, leading him to consult Dr Lin Ling, a respiratory and critical care specialist at Hainan Hospital.
A shocking diagnosis
A chest CT scan revealed a suspicious shadow in the lower lung lobe, raising concerns about a foreign object. To investigate further, Dr Lin recommended a bronchoscopy. The results were shocking.
“During the procedure, I clearly saw something with wings in the bronchus,” Dr Lin explained to Seehua.com. “It was covered in a thick layer of phlegm, but after removing it, we identified the foreign body as a cockroach.”
Cockroach extracted from trachea
The insect was carefully extracted from the man’s trachea, and after cleaning the area thoroughly, the patient’s foul-smelling symptoms vanished. He made a full recovery and was discharged the following day.
Though rare, Dr Lin advised that anyone suspecting a foreign body lodged in their respiratory tract should seek immediate medical attention to avoid complications.
