Popcorn Removal Triggered Open-Heart Surgery

In September 2019, a 41-year-old British firefighter named Adam Martin got popcorn stuck in a back tooth after watching a movie with his wife in Cornwall, England. For three days, he tried to remove it with a pen lid, toothpick, piece of wire, and metal nail, damaging the surrounding gum. A week later, he developed night sweats, fatigue, and headaches, and doctors eventually diagnosed endocarditis and found that the infection had damaged his heart. Martin underwent a seven-hour operation to repair his mitral valve and replace his aortic valve, and he believed the injured gum caused the infection.

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