Don't use your scissors as a toothpick or this happens

Chinese surgeons saved a man's life after he accidentally swallowed a pair of nail scissors he was using to clean his teeth. 

Lin Kong had borrowed a four-inch-long pair of nail scissors to use instead of a toothpick to clean his teeth after a meal.

But as one of his friends told a joke, the 27-year-old laughed and swallowed the clippers.

As he tried to cough up the scissors, the points, which were facing upwards, dug deeper into his throat, causing serious damage.

Chen Wei, a surgeon at the hospital in Putian, eastern China, said: "When he came in, his face was twisted, pale, and [he was] sweating. The patient was having difficulty swallowing and blood was mixed with his saliva."

X-rays showed that the scissors had completely entered the man's oesophagus, with the sharp points sticking up into the epiglottis.

It took 30 minutes to remove.