Doctor earns nickname Rubber Ju-nny after operation with condom

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Beer bottles and condoms may be common ingredients of a big night out, but they combined to particularly memorable effect for one boozed-up guy hospitalized in the eastern Chinese city of Lianyungang.

A Mr. Liu found himself in a spot of bother on Friday night after accidentally swallowing a bottle cap when downing a pint.

At Lianyungang First People's Hospital, exams revealed the cap to be lodged in Liu’s esophagus. It usually would not have been a big deal to pull out an object of this size, but Doctor Ju Weiping knew that the sharp, zigzag-shaped rim of the cap could scratch Liu’s stomach lining and cause heavy bleeding if pulled out with force.

Ju, who used to be an electrical engineer versed in handling pliers before becoming a doctor, came up with the idea of catching the lid in a regular condom and sliding it out in this protective, lubricated cover.

Gastroscope images of the treatment. Pictures from Yangtze Evening Post

With the help of a gastroscope and medical tools, Ju guided the open condom into Liu’s esophagus and up to the bottle cap. According to local newspaper the Yangtze Evening Post, the doctor “shook” the prophylactic until the cap slipped into its neck.

The procedure took less than two minutes.

The moment the condom caught the lid. Picture from Yangtze Evening Post

Ju, 60, said that his skill with pliers came in very handy in this delicate situation.

He was working in engineering before China restarted its university entrance exam after the 10-year Cultural Revolution in 1978. Always dreaming of being a doctor, Ju took the exam, was admitted into a medical school and qualified five years later, in 1983.

Upon reading this story, Chinese social media users have expressed amazement at the operation.

“Such an amazing use of a condom!” exclaimed @Yanmingyangzi on Twitter-like Sina Weibo.

Many Weibo users showed dry humor in speculating what brand of condom the doctor used.