Man gets fatal heart infection after picking tooth to remove popcorn

A Cornwall based man, Adam Martin, had to undergo for a seven-hour surgery after contracting a fatal blood infection. According to reports, Martin had contracted endocarditis from trying to pick out a stuck piece of popcorn from his teeth. Trying to determine the cause of suffering from such a deadly infection, Martin said that the only probable reason could be the continuous poking at his teeth to try and remove a piece of popcorn.

Man contracts fatal heart infection

The firefighter said that he had tried to dislodge the popcorn with the help of a piece of wire and a metal nail etc. He further added that the incident gave him a toothache but he still did not go to a dentist. Martin said that he started to sweat in the night along with frequent headaches, fatigue and discomfort in the heart. He said that the doctors told him that if he had not gone to the hospital on time then he would have lost his life.

Talking about the serious consequences of endocarditis, Martin said that the infection had completely eaten up his heart valves. Recalling the ordeal, the Britisher said that his suffering began when he had eaten some popcorn with his wife and ended up with the life-threatening infection.

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Martin said that when he initially started experiencing the symptoms, he thought that he was down with flu and paid a visit to his doctor. He added that his doctor asked him to get a blood test and X-ray in which the results showed that he had only a slight inflammation. Although he went back home to rest and recover, there was no improvement in his condition over the next few days. He had also developed a blood blister on his toe which was later identified as Janeway lesion (an external symptom of endocarditis).

Talking about his painful ordeal, Martin said that his legs started to ache and he did not feel well at all. The ache in his leg ultimately turned out to be a clot for which Martin had to undergo a five-hour operation. However, he had been prescribed medicines but later scans showcased that he would need to have an operation. Martin said that his heart had stopped working properly.

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(With inputs from agencies)