A drunken diner fell on a dinner table and impaled his head on a more than 15-inch-long metal rod that pierced his mouth at a Chinese restaurant.
The diner was eating with coworkers when he stood up and slipped, landing on a table with a long metal rod, according to South China Morning News.
According to the report, the intoxicated man, only identified as Aqiang, was impaled on the rod, which went through his mouth and deep into his skull.
Chilling X-rays show how close the rod came to damaging critical areas of his brain, at only 2mm.
His colleagues were horrified as blood poured from his mouth and immediately called an ambulance, according to the outlet.
According to the publication, firefighters had to cut off the outside of the rod before surgery could begin.
Aqiang was rushed to Shenzhen University General Hospital in Guangdong, southern China, for treatment, and doctors shared details about his case on social media on April 11.
His life was saved after 10 hours of emergency surgery, which could have failed at any time due to the bacteria on the metal rod, according to the outlet.
“This foreign object contained a lot of bacteria. It penetrated the patient through his mouth, eyes, and brain. “Any minor, careless operation could result in a fatal problem,” doctors from the hospital’s Trauma Center told local news site sznews.com.
The rod had a clip at the end, making it extremely difficult to remove without injuring Aqiang’s brain, eyes, or mouth.
Aqiang spent several days in the intensive care unit after the operation to fight infection, and he remained in the hospital for a month.
He had impaired vision in his right eye, but his verbal and motor skills remained intact, according to doctors.
“I am still scared when I think about the incident. Doctors saved my life. “It is a blessing in disguise,” Aqiang told the local press.