‘You inhaled it’: Man inhales drill bit during dental visit

Category: Human Interest

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. routine / ruˈtin / (adj.) – done very often
    Example:

    I visit the doctor every month for a routine check-up.


  2. CT scan / ˈsɪ ti skæn / (n.) – a procedure for identifying diseases or injuries that involves taking several X-ray images of the body from different angles and combining them in a computer
    Example:

    He had a CT scan to find out whether he has a tumor that needs to be removed.


  3. detection / dɪˈtɛk ʃən / (n.) – the act of discovering or finding something
    Example:

    The early detection of diseases gives patients better chances of surviving.


  4. navigate / ˈnæv ɪˌgeɪt / (v.) – to carefully travel or pass through a difficult path
    Example:

    It wasn’t easy to navigate the narrow streets of the town.


  5. airway / ˈɛərˌweɪ / (n.) – the pathway through which air passes from the nose or mouth to the lungs
    Example:

    He finds it difficult to breathe because his airways are blocked.


Article

Read the text below.

A routine trip to the dentist was anything but normal — after an Illinois man inhaled the dentist’s drill bit and had to go to the hospital to get it removed last month.


Tom Jozsi, 60, told WISN-TV that he was at the dentist getting his tooth filled when he was told he swallowed a tool.


“I didn’t really even feel it going down. All I felt was a cough. When they did the CT scan they realized, ‘You didn’t swallow it. You inhaled it,’” he said. Doctors believe that Jozsi inhaled just before he coughed, sending the 1-inch bit deep into Jozsi’s lung.


Dr. Abdul Alraiyes, at Aurora Medical Center-Kenosha in Wisconsin, said the bit was so deep that normal scopes couldn’t reach it. Jozsi said he was told that if it couldn’t be taken out, part of his lung would have to be removed.


Alraiyes and his medical team decided to try a newer device to remove the object — one that’s designed for early detection of cancer.


Video of the scan shows the medical team was able to navigate the narrow airways, reach the drill piece and pull it out without harming Jozsi.


“I was never so happy as when I opened my eyes, and I saw him with a smile under that mask shaking a little plastic container with the tool in it,” Jozsi said.


Jozsi said he now keeps the drill bit on a shelf at home.


Alraiyes said colleagues in Michigan and Ohio have reported seeing similar cases.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • How would you feel if a similar thing happened to you during a medical procedure? Do you think the dentist should be held responsible for the incident? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Some accidents during medical procedures lead to more serious injuries. What do you think should be done for patients who experience these accidents during medical procedures (ex. give them the service for free)? Why? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Why do you think Jozsi decided to keep the drill bit on a shelf at home? If you were Jozsi, what would you do with the object? Discuss.
  • Do you like to keep things from memorable experiences (ex. souvenirs)? Why or why not? Discuss.