Chinese doctor uses condom to perform safe surgery on patient who swallowed bottle cap

A doctor in Lianyungang used a condom to protect a patient from injury after the man swallowed a beer bottle top while drinking with friends.

The man, identified only by his surname Liu, arrived a No 1 Lianyungang Hospital at around 10pm on Friday after drinking with friends, the Yangzi Evening News reported. He told medical staff at the accident and emergency department that he accidentally swallowed a beer bottle cap while drinking too fast.

After giving Liu an X-ray and confirming the location of the cap in his stomach, the doctor on duty suggested he return in the morning when his stomach was empty.

Liu was then treated by the chief of gastroenterology, Dr Ju Weiping, on Saturday, who used a condom to wrap the cap in Liu’s stomach before extracting it.

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The 60-year-old doctor was an electrical engineer and fitter before taking the university entrance examination and entering medical school to become a doctor in 1978, after the Cultural Revolution. His skills as a trained fitter were key to getting the cap out of Liu’s body, Ju said, with the condom preventing the cap from scratching and damaging Liu’s organs.