Chopstick pierces toddler's skull after she falls onto it while running around at home

A playful act of running around the house while having dinner caused much agony to a little child, when she fell onto the chopstick she was holding in her hand. It ended up piercing the 3-year-old girl's skull. The horrifying incident highlights the dangers of chopsticks and other sharp everyday items.

According to news reports, the incident happened in Jiangxi, China, on 11 April 2019. The chopstick is believed to have pierced through the side of the girl's mouth and into her skull. Apparently, it went in so deep that the tip of the chopstick could be felt from the back of her neck.

The child's parents immediately rushed her to a nearby hospital, from where she was transferred to Central South University's Xiangya Hospital. 

A CT scan revealed that the chopstick had narrowly missed piercing vital parts like the brain stem, carotid artery, and neck vertebrae. However around 10 cm of it had got lodged into the child's head, and so, doctors decided to perform surgery even though there were risks associated with giving anaesthesia.

The chopstick was removed successfully, and the toddler is thankfully now in stable condition, and under observation.

There have been many such cases of chopsticks causing harm to little children. In Feb 2018, a toddler in China had to have a chopstick removed from his skull after it got lodged there through his mouth. Again, the little boy was running around his home while holding the chopstick at lunch time.

Mums and dads, this incident is a reminder for all of us to keep sharp objects away from our children, and to ensure that they remain seated at mealtime.

Here are some safety tips to protect kids from injuries from sharp household objects:

• Keep knives, forks, scissors, and other sharp utensils in a drawer with a safety latch.
• Keep glass objects, such as drinking glasses and bowls, in a high cabinet, where little children cannot reach.
• Store appliances with sharp blades (like blenders or food processors) far from reach or in a locked cabinet.
• Keep babies and toddlers a safe distance away when you load and unload the dishwasher to prevent them from grabbing sharp utensils or glassware that could break. Use a dishwasher lock at other times
• Keep paper shredders out of the reach of small children.
• If you use a razor to shave, keep it in a locked cabinet in the bathroom. Store extra blades in a safe place.
• Keep nail scissors and other sharp personal or grooming instruments out of reach.

Also READ: Needle found in toddler's heart during a check for chronic cough