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MEDICAL MARVEL — A healthy 14-year-old boy was rushed to the emergency department after suffering from 6 hours of sudden hoarseness and severe difficulty swallowing. The cause? He had accidentally swallowed a metal coin.

While most ingested objects end up in the stomach or esophagus, X-rays revealed a rare and dangerous situation: a U.S. quarter was lodged vertically right inside his airway, just below his vocal cords.

“Airway blockages like this are extremely dangerous and require immediate surgery,” doctors noted. Because of gravity, swallowed objects usually drop deeper into the lungs, making the location of this coin exceptionally unusual.

Surgeons performed an emergency procedure under general anesthesia, using optical forceps to safely pull the quarter out of his throat. Aside from mild ulceration where the coin was stuck, the teen recovered instantly, regained his voice, and was safely discharged home.