Fish consumption is highly recommended due to the nutritional richness of white meat. However, care and attention must be taken when ingesting them, due to the pimples, since poor swallowing can lead to choking and even organ perforation.
“Fish bones are a foreign body and often [você] is able to feel them during chewing, when noticing something hard next to the food. However, because they are very thin, it is also possible that they go unnoticed. Therefore, it is important to inspect the food well, both during preparation and during the meal, in order to remove them before eating, and always divide the fish into small portions”, explains otorhinolaryngologist Ricardo Dourado, from ABORL-CCF (Brazilian Association of Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico-Facial Surgery).
The otorhinolaryngologist Hugo Valter Lisboa, president of the ABLV (Brazilian Academy of Laryngology and Voice), says that the signs that the spine has become trapped are immediate – an uncomfortable feeling of being caught.
Dourado completes that, when swallowing, in addition to the feeling of a groove, if the spine is trapped in lower regions, such as the esophagus, the person may experience difficulty swallowing, including their own saliva, as well as the ingestion of water and solid food.
In some cases, vomiting may occur, given the body’s attempt to expel the foreign body.
Among the groups most at risk of suffering from such situations are children and the elderly. That’s because both usually have more difficulty chewing.
Children may not have the necessary attention, as well as the ability to identify such foreign bodies mixed with food.
Elderly people who use dental prostheses, which usually cover the entire length of the roof of the mouth, have decreased sensitivity in the area, not noticing the presence of the pimple during chewing.
Although there is no species of fish associated with more choking, it is more common for occurrences to be increased in those with more bones, especially those that are smaller or thinner, which are difficult to perceive sensorially and visually.
Doctors claim that smaller pimples usually generate fewer symptoms and, consequently, fewer problems, being able to mix with the food bolus and be expelled through the feces.
However, with larger pimples, there is a risk that they will stop anywhere along the way (tonsils, larynx, esophagus, stomach and intestines), which can lead to inflammation and local infections, in addition to the risk of perforation, further complicating the condition.
Lisboa claims that in case of ingestion, the ideal is to seek medical help and not try to make the pimple “go down” with other foods or try any homemade maneuver, even if it is visible.
“It’s important that this removal is done by a doctor, who will perform the procedure properly. Trying to put your finger in to remove the pimple, for example, can hurt the area even more”, says the ABLV president.
Doctors claim that, in general, the pimples can be easily removed in the office or in the emergency room with the help of special tweezers.
In cases where the pimple is lodged in deeper areas, extraction can be performed through an upper digestive endoscopy or with the insertion of cameras through the nose, which will guide the removal by the forceps. Although rare, withdrawal in surgical centers may also occur.
Already in perforations, it is necessary to withdraw through surgeries more frequently and start drug treatment – antibiotics are used to control the infection that may occur at the site.
In addition to small portions, proper chewing of food is a way to avoid accidents with pimples.
When offering fish to children, for example, it must be broken into pieces on the plate so that it is possible to identify if there is something to be removed.
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