Yikes! This man's dentures got stuck in his throat during surgery

Here is the X-ray image showing dentures stuck in the throat of a 72-year-old patient. They became lodged in his throat during surgery and weren’t discovered until eight days later. Photo: AP

False teeth need to be taken out before a general anaesthetic, doctors warn in the journal BMJ Case Reports, after a 72-year-old’s dentures got stuck in his throat during surgery to remove a harmless lump in his abdominal wall, and weren’t discovered for eight days.

Aside from experiencing considerable pain, bleeding, and swallowing difficulties, the oversight led to repeated hospital visits, additional invasive tests, blood transfusions, and eventually more surgery for the man.