[THROWBACK] Two Men Swallow Apple AirPod; Surprisingly, the Devices Are Still Working After Retrieving From Their Esophagus

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 22 June 2021, 04:06 pm

It is bizarre to feature a throwback story on Tuesday, just like this story of these two men who swallowed Apple AirPod.

Here's a throwback of their stories.

Taiwanese Man - The First Man Who Swallows Apple Airpod

This Taiwanese man was unaware that he swallowed his Apple Airpod when he found out the truth. Surprisingly, his Apple AirPod was still working even it was in his stomach.

Ben Hsu told The Daily Mail that he fell asleep while wearing his AirPods and found that he was missing one earbud when he woke up. He used Apple's tracking feature to find it but failed.

Hsu heard the beeping sound but did not know where it was coming from. He checked under his blanket and his bed until he realized that the sound was coming from his stomach.

Hsu was rushed to the Kaohsiung Municipal Hospital. The medics confirmed that the AirPod was already in the process of passing through his digestive system. Fortunately, no major surgery was needed as he was able to pass it through naturally.

The earbud was still working and intact after he had cleaned it, with the battery still at 41%.

The doctor who looked after Hsu said that swallowing the AirPod did the patient no harm because Hsu was not exposed to the device's battery.

The Second Man Who Accidentally Swallowed Apple AirPods

Bradford Gauthier, a man from Massachusetts, is the second man who swallowed an Apple AirPod. He shared his story about how he realized he swallowed an AirPod while sleeping and how a doctor was able to remove them from the esophagus.

Just like what happened to Hsu, Gauthier swallowed the AirPod back in February after falling asleep while using it. He said he was exhausted, but it was his habit of watching movies on his phone before sleeping.

Before the movie began, he fell asleep, and he woke up four hours later. When he checked his phone, the film had long finished, and he moved his phone off of his pillow and removed the AirPod headphone from one year. The other piece was missing, but he thought it had fallen out.

Also Read: Amazon AirPods Raffle Scam: Your Account and Financial Data Could be at Risk; Here's How to Avoid It

When he tried to take a drink in the middle of the night, that was when he knew something was wrong.

Gauthier claimed that he could not swallow properly. His throat was filled with water, but it would not go down. But since he was too tired, he just went back to bed.

The following morning, he could not swallow properly, and he could not find his other AirPod. It was his son who told him the possibility of him swallowing it. His wife, Heather, was the one who told him to go to the hospital.

The AirPod Still Works

When Gauthier told the doctor his symptoms, he said he could not believe it because people who swallow something experience a lot of pain, but Gauthier only felt a slight discomfort, according to ScreenRant.

The doctor did an X-ray, and Gauthier said his facial expression was priceless. He was led to the workstation, surrounded by medical staff. The screen showed the image of his ribs, and between them was the shape of his missing AirPod.

The AirPod was wedged firmly into the side of his esophagus, but there was a possibility that it could block an airway or he could have digested the lithium-ion battery.

Gauthier's wife drove him to the endoscopy center, where the AirPod was got back out through his mouth using a tube with a lasso attachment. He said that it was uncomfortable, but he was sedated the whole time. After a few minutes, he was given his AirPod back in a little bag.

Gauthier tried to use the AirPod again, and they found out it still works. He then shared his story with NBC and warned Apple users to be careful with AirPods as it is deemed a health hazard.