Singapore man visits doctors for vomiting, they find octopus stuck in his throat

Doctors in Singapore were stunned to discover the reason behind a patient’s vomiting – an octopus stuck in his throat. According to a report in The New York Post, the unnamed patient began vomiting after a meal that included the eight-legged mollusk. He rushed to a hospital after he realised he also had trouble swallowing.

At the Tan Tock Seng Hospital, doctors examined the 55-year-old man and conducted a CT scan which revealed the issue – an octopus lodged in his gullet. A subsequent diagnostic procedure known as esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed the cephalopod stuck in the esophagus-stomach border.

Initial attempts to dislodge the octopus were unsuccessful, American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). Doctors then carefully navigated the endoscope past the octopus into the stomach and retroflexed. Forceps were used to grasp the creature’s head and remove it.

The patient was discharged two days after the procedure, having recovered fully from his ordeal. This incident took place in 2018. “Foreign body ingestion and food bolus impaction are frequent problems encountered in endoscopic practice,” the AGA report from the time said.