Mumbai: A 34-year-old woman from Kurla, Ruby Shaikh, underwent an 8-hour-long surgery after a chicken bone from her biryani got lodged in her throat. The incident occurred on February 3, when Ruby was enjoying a meal with her family. The 3.2 cm chicken bone got stuck in her throat and moved in the wrong direction, causing severe complications.
Ruby, a mother of two young children, a seven-year-old daughter and a six-month-old son, was rushed to Criticare Asia Hospital after the bone lodged near her mid-cervical spine area between C4-C5 vertebral discs, as revealed by an X-ray according to the reports by The Times of India.
The surgery, which took place on February 8, was particularly complex, and the doctors stated that such cases were uncommon in medical practice. Ruby’s family faced a significant financial burden due to the medical expenses, totalling around Rs. 8 lakh. However, hospital halved it through donation. Ruby has been advised to rest for a month as part of her recovery process after the major surgery.
ENT surgeon Dr. Sanjay Helale, who led the surgery explained the case by saying ”Perhaps due to manipulations of the oesophagus during dissection or the effects of anaesthesia, the bone moved upwards,” he said. He plans to publish this ‘unusual case’ in a medical journal as per reports.
Ruby Shaikh stated that she will no longer eat biryani due to this bad experience. She told her husband that she would never cook biryani again, describing the case as very unusual in medical practice.
Due to the 8-hour-long surgery, doctors asked Ruby to take rest for around one month after the surgery.
