A TEENAGE boy from California managed to swallow a quarter, but instead of it taking the express elevator down to his stomach, the coin decided to explore a less travelled route.
It took a detour into his airway, apparently mistaking the poor kid's vocal cords for a slot in a vending machine.
Published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, the tale unfolds with doctors discovering the wayward quarter lodged in the subglottis - the no-man's-land between the vocal cords and the trachea.
Despite the alarming location of this unexpected foreign object, the teen strolled into a hospital's emergency room.
His symptoms were mild: just a bit of hoarseness, some trouble swallowing, but, surprisingly, no drooling and comfortable breathing.
Doctors performed a high-stakes retrieval operation.
Under general anaesthetic they deployed long, optical forceps equipped with a camera, because if you're going to do a coin extraction, you might as well film it.
The quarter, perhaps sensing its impending capture, reflected off the camera lens as the forceps plucked it from its snug spot.
Post-coin-ectomy, the boy's airway was inspected for damage, sure enough, the quarter had left its mark - ulcerations that mirrored its ribbed edges.
Thankfully, after the removal, the boy's symptoms improved and he was discharged home.
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