Dental drill removed from patient’s lungs by Duke Health after accidentally inhaling it

DURHAM, NC (WNCN) — A two-centimeter drill bit came loose during a patient’s dental procedure. And ended up in the lungs of a Duke Health patient.

To make matters worse, the bit, sharp on one end, was accidentally inhaled “very far into his right lung,” Duke Health said in a post Wednesday.

An interventional pulmonologist at Duke Health, Dr. Momen Wahidi, performed a procedure called a bronchoscopy to remove it. Given the size and sharpness of the bit, removing it from the patient’s lungs was a delicate procedure.

dr Wahili was successful and Duke Health said the patient was “thrilled to avoid losing part of his lung.”

The patient was told before this procedure that this object could not be removed without surgery.

According to Duke, a similar case happened in Illinois last month.