Newton Man Undergoes Surgery After Eating Wire Grill Brush Bristle

NEWTON, MA — A Newton man has undergone emergency surgery after accidentally eating a wire bristle that had broken off a grill brush, reported WCVB.

Jeffrey Czaplinski accidentally ingested the piece of metal during an outdoor barbecue his family hosted.

"We had a great time," he told WCVB. "Got compliments on the burgers.”

The next morning, Czaplinski felt a pain in his stomach. It went away for a while, but returned later that night, convincing him to go to Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

At the hospital, a CT scan showed that 5 centimeter-long wire bristle was sticking through the wall of his stomach.

"This is obviously a sharp piece of metal," Dr. Charu Paranjape, Newton-Wellesley's chief of general surgery, told WCVB. "It can cause significant bleeding.”

The wire was likely stuck to a piece of meat that was grilled on the barbecue, Paranjape said. Because there was concern the wire would cause septic shock, Czaplinski went through an emergency procedure to remove it.

Czaplinski said he has already replaced the old grill brush with a safer one.

According to experts, safer options include a grill stone, a coiled brush, or crumpled aluminum foil.