A hospital in Japan is facing a negligence lawsuit after an elderly patient was discovered to have swallowed a key in the ward and later died, sparking worries about dementia care in the rapidly ageing country.
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Kenichi Onishi, 82, was admitted to the Osaka hospital in January 2022 after breaking his chest bone in a fall. A few months later, in September, he complained about throat pain and was diagnosed with Covid-19.
A chest X-ray, however, showed a large shadow in his throat, which was later identified as a 12cm (4.7 inch) key with a keychain attached.
“At first, I imagined it was a small key that he accidentally swallowed,” his 55-year-old son said, according to a Yomiuri TV broadcast on Wednesday. “But when I saw it, I was shocked. It was heavy and oddly shaped, and I could only think how much my father must have suffered.”
The metal key, which was on a goose-shaped chain with sharp edges, was a “clothing key” used to secure a special jumpsuit designed to prevent patients from tampering with medical equipment or diapers, Onishi’s son said. His father, who had been diagnosed with mild dementia, was wearing the suit during his stay.
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Onishi, who ran a printing business in Osaka, died a few days after the X-ray was taken and the key was removed.