Overview
- The 50-year-old patient swallowed a raw grass carp gallbladder on December 14 to treat a headache and fell ill within two hours.
- She was diagnosed with fish gallbladder poisoning and acute liver failure and was transferred to the ICU at the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University.
- Emergency care included plasma exchange and continuous renal replacement therapy, after which she improved and was discharged in five days.
- Treating physician Hu Zhenkui cautioned that fish gallbladder can be more toxic than arsenic and remains dangerous even when cooked or soaked in alcohol.
- The hospital reported the case on January 7, and outlets note similar poisonings across China linked to folk beliefs about purported health benefits.