Cover image via Sing Tao
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A 67-year-old man in Chengdu, China, was shocked to discover that a lighter he swallowed three decades ago was still lodged in his body
For over 30 years, the object caused him no major issues until a month ago, when he began experiencing persistent abdominal pain and swelling. A gastroscopy revealed the black, rectangular object in his stomach.
The man, identified as Deng, recalled the incident clearly. Around 1991 or 1992, during a drinking session with friends, he made a reckless bet.
"We were drinking, and I made a bet with a friend — if he dared to swallow the lighter, so would I. I swallowed it in one gulp," he explained.
At the time, he assumed the foreign object would naturally pass through his digestive system and gave it little thought.
Removing the object proved challenging for the medical team
The lighter's smooth, slippery surface made it difficult to grip with standard forceps, leading to several failed attempts.
Forced to improvise, the doctors came up with an ingenious solution: they inserted a condom into Deng's stomach via an endoscope. After manoeuvring the lighter into the condom, they were able to secure a grip and successfully extract it through his mouth. The entire procedure took approximately 20 minutes.
To everyone's surprise, the lighter was structurally intact, measuring about 7cm in length
Although coated in black residue from decades of exposure to stomach acid, the lighter's mechanism still contained residual fluid.
Doctors highlighted the severity of the situation, noting that if the lighter had leaked or ruptured, the reaction between the flammable fluid and stomach acid could have been life-threatening, potentially causing a gastric perforation.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Deng was amazed at his own survival.
"The lighter never came out!" he exclaimed, still in disbelief. "I thought it would just pass naturally."
