Man dies from ripped intestine after swallowing pill in its packaging
Swedish hospital now being investigated to establish if any of its procedures were at fault
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man in Sweden has died after he swallowed the entire packaging around his prescription medicine and it ripped a hole in his intestine.
The man was in hospital at the time and recovering from a heart operation when he tried to take the pill and ingested its plastic casing at the same time.
The incident is now being investigated by Sweden’s Health and Social Care Inspectorate, according to reports in the country’s English-language news service The Local.
“The whole thing is very unfortunate and very regrettable,” a spokesperson for the Hallands hospital said in a statement to the website.
The man, who has not been named, was reported to be recovering from surgery well and due be discharged when he started to feel stomach pains.
He was rushed for emergency surgery, which found a small hole in the man’s small intestine and, next to it, the pill still in its plastic packaging.
The Local said the man was believed to have suffered from poor eyesight, and that this could explain the mistake.
Hospital spokesperson Birgitta Largerqvist said: “The dosage packaging was made of plastic and perforated so that you can tear off one pill at a time. The perforation can leave sharp corners. It is probable that the patient swallowed it together with the plastic casing and this caused the intestinal damage.”
The hospital now hopes that the inspection board will not find fault in any of its procedures.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments