Piece of popcorn turns deadly, 41-year-old undergoes open heart surgery

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A British man nearly lost his life after a piece of popcorn got stuck in his teeth. Adam Martin, 41, developed a life-threatening infection and had to undergo an open heart surgery after trying to dislodge the popcorn out of his teeth using a number of tools. The kernel got stuck in his back tooth in September.

According to a report in The Daily Mail, Martin had a piece of popcorn stuck in his teeth for three days. He used a pen lid, toothpick, piece of wire and a metal nail as well to get it out but in vain. Moreover, it led to a gum infection which spread into his heart.

However, doctors managed to save his life through an operation to remove an infected blood cot from his leg and did another seven-hour surgery to replace a valve in his heart.

Martin was watching a film at home with his wife when a popcorn got stuck in his teeth and a week later, he developed fatigue, headaches and a heart murmur.

He was diagnosed with a mild heart murmur and was sent home to recover under his own steam but the flu-like symptoms were still there.

Martin said: 'I had a feeling there was something seriously wrong. I was sleeping an awful lot and I felt terrible.

However, the doctors were able to save him. He said, "It all happened so quickly and it did get sketchy. I won't be going near popcorn again, that's for sure. It's crazy to think all this happened because of that. It was something so trivial."

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