Will a hospital refuse to remove my chip? | Equipment and referrals matter [OK Prostate Chip]

This page is based on entries from "ok-lab's diary" (https://ok-lab.hatenablog.com/), the Japanese development diary written by Mr. Okada, founder of OK Lab, a small company in Japan (Okada Comfortable Life Laboratory). Only the entries about "hospitals refusing chip removal and where to seek care" are summarized here, in order of publication. Past prices and sizes are as written at the time. Current prices come from the official product list (retrieved September 4, 2026). Quotations are translated from Japanese.

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Note: This page is a personal reading log by someone with no connection to the maker or the seller. It reflects the source entries as of their publication dates and makes no guarantee of accuracy or safety. The product is not a medical device; talk to a doctor about any health decision. Check the official site for current information. This page contains advertising.

In short

Some clinics declined chip removal because they lacked equipment; other practices treated individual cases.

Mr. Okada points to hospitals with urology services and emergency care.

The latest supplied report, published in May 2026, still describes an equipment-related referral without a recorded removal outcome.

If you see blood in your urine, even a small amount or for the first time, do not wait and see. See a urologist right away.

If you suddenly cannot urinate, or the device cannot be removed, do not try to fix it yourself. Go to a medical facility, including emergency care, immediately.

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About this product

The OK Prostate Chip is a small device that is placed in the urethra (the urine passage) so that it acts on the prostate; the maker sells it in several shapes, sizes and materials. It is made and sold by OK Lab (Okada Comfortable Life Laboratory), a small company in Japan, through its own online store, and prices are in Japanese yen (JPY). The maker's development diary, "ok-lab's diary", is written in Japanese. This page is an English summary of it, and every quotation is translated. OK Lab ships internationally, so readers outside Japan can order (see "Buying from outside Japan" below). Product names on this page are plain-English descriptions. The official Japanese product name is shown once in the product table so you can find the same item in the store.

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Before you read: key terms

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What happens: finding a hospital for chip removal

The OK Prostate Chip is a small device placed in the urethra, described by the maker as acting on the prostate. This topic concerns medical care when a chip cannot be removed, including reports of devices remaining in the urine passage or bladder. Customers described seeking a hospital or clinic able to locate and remove the retained object, sometimes after another facility declined treatment because equipment was missing.

Two doctors declined chip removal because they could not operate

In an entry published in May 2018, a customer sought treatment after a retrieval thread (the cord intended for removal) detached. 2 doctors in private practice declined because they could not perform surgery with an internal viewing instrument. A general hospital's urology department subsequently removed the chip from the bladder, and the customer reported feeling well afterward.

The customer reported paying about ¥29,000 (about $186 at ¥156 = $1, rate as of 2026-09-04), including ¥25,000 (about $160 at ¥156 = $1, rate as of 2026-09-04) for surgery, with a 30% patient share. Mr. Okada thanked the customer for the detailed account and explicitly withheld further comment.

(Source: ok-lab's diary, published May 2018)
https://ok-lab.hatenablog.com/entry/20180511/1526036007

A curved chip stuck in the bladder required hospital removal

In an entry published in January 2019, a customer reported that a strongly curved chip with a section over 10 mm had remained inside. The customer sought hospital care and reported successful removal with an internal viewing instrument. Mr. Okada said the attached thread had made the clinical work relatively quick, despite the customer's considerable distress.

The customer believed suitable equipment and operators were scarce and warned that abdominal surgery could become necessary. Mr. Okada's response emphasized the retrieval thread as an important safeguard.

(Source: ok-lab's diary, published January 2019)
https://ok-lab.hatenablog.com/entry/2019/01/26/152042

A clinic's viewing equipment did not mean chip removal was available

In an entry published in February 2019, a customer sought care after a glass chip broke and abdominal discomfort persisted. The doctor reportedly said a flexible cystoscope (a flexible bladder-viewing instrument) allowed inspection there, while treatment required a rigid cystoscope (a metal instrument). The doctor said most private practices had only flexible equipment and recommended a larger hospital with the rigid type.

Reluctant to attend a large hospital, the customer found 1 nearby private practice offering both types, which planned inspection before deciding about removal. The examination found no fragment but substantial bladder-lining damage; the customer suspected unnoticed passage, although the missing piece was never recovered. Mr. Okada apologized and asked customers to take the account into consideration.

(Source: ok-lab's diary, published February 2019)
https://ok-lab.hatenablog.com/entry/2019/02/02/153358

Two clinics lacked gripping equipment for a chip stuck inside

In an entry published in August 2022, a customer sought help for linked chip parts that had become stuck together. 2 small urology clinics had bladder-viewing equipment but lacked forceps (gripping instruments used for retrieval), so they recommended a larger facility. A large specialist urology hospital accepting emergencies and inpatients subsequently removed the device with a cystoscope.

The customer described the doctor as responding without criticism and reported that the linked parts had folded against each other. Treatment was classified as surgery, covered by insurance, and cost about ¥8,000 (about $51 at ¥156 = $1, rate as of 2026-09-04); afterward, the customer reported minor bleeding and pain. Mr. Okada acknowledged the danger of linked chips overlapping and said he had not found a complete solution while using thread.

(Source: ok-lab's diary, published August 2022)
https://ok-lab.hatenablog.com/entry/2022/08/20/122920

The fifth hospital removed a chip stuck after ceramic breakage

In an entry published in March 2024, a customer reported successful forceps removal of a broken ceramic fragment at the 5th hospital. Earlier hospitals had proposed abdominal surgery or another operation, with a university hospital offering a date the following month. The successful report followed considerable uncertainty about which facility would undertake treatment.

Mr. Okada had provided information and made an experimental retrieval tool while the customer was seeking help. He acknowledged that his prototype was neither reliably effective nor safe, and the supplied account does not identify the successful hospital. Mr. Okada invited questions about the customer's experience of finding care.

(Source: ok-lab's diary, published March 2024)
https://ok-lab.hatenablog.com/entry/2024/03/23/122837

The latest hospital referral leaves the chip removal outcome unknown

In an entry published in May 2026, Mr. Okada reported that a customer had attended a urology facility without retrieval equipment. That facility referred the customer to another doctor, but the diary does not record whether removal was completed. Mr. Okada said he was withholding fuller details until a successful result could be reported.

He wondered whether a referred case might receive a more cautious response than an unplanned visit. This was his speculation about how doctors might respond, rather than a documented explanation from either facility. He also suggested that an equipped emergency hospital might feel able to respond promptly.

(Source: ok-lab's diary, published May 2026)
https://ok-lab.hatenablog.com/entry/2026/05/09/122904

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The maker's answer to finding a hospital for chip removal

Mr. Okada's main answer is medical care at an equipped facility, with some later reports showing treatment at smaller practices.

Emergency capacity was the maker's hospital choice for chip removal

In an entry published in July 2021, Mr. Okada included hospital selection in his draft instructions for customers. He wrote that private practitioners would usually decline requests to retrieve a chip after thread failure.

That statement was the maker's advice at the time, not a verified rule governing every private clinic. His stated direction for someone needing hospital removal was an emergency-capable facility with a urology service.

(Source: ok-lab's diary, published July 2021)
https://ok-lab.hatenablog.com/entry/2021/07/24/125923

An equipped general hospital had responded promptly to chip removal

In an entry published in January 2022, Mr. Okada followed up on a customer whose chip had been removed promptly. He had wondered whether the facility might be a somewhat larger private practice, so he asked for further details. The customer supplied the hospital's identity privately, and Mr. Okada checked its published information.

He described a general hospital with about 200–300 beds and 3 urology doctors, rather than an individual doctor's office. He described it as one of several general hospitals serving a city of about 100,000 people. Mr. Okada concluded that bladder foreign-body removal seemed more demanding than a small private practice could readily handle.

(Source: ok-lab's diary, published January 2022)
https://ok-lab.hatenablog.com/entry/2022/01/01/124134

A second opinion became the maker's suggestion for difficult chip removal

In an entry published in August 2023, a customer reported that a specialist urology clinic declined removal and referred them onward. The destination was a nearby clinic specializing in women's urology, described as having newer equipment, where the ceramic chip was removed.

The customer described stone-treatment equipment and later bleeding; Mr. Okada thought a laser had been used, but the exact equipment was not confirmed. The reported charges were ¥48,000 (about $307 at ¥156 = $1, rate as of 2026-09-04) for chip treatment and ¥2,200 (about $14 at ¥156 = $1, rate as of 2026-09-04) × 5 for bladder washing, totaling ¥59,000 (about $378 at ¥156 = $1, rate as of 2026-09-04) plus consultation charges as stated.

The supplied entry does not record the planned follow-up result, and Mr. Okada asked whether it had gone well. When bladder surgery was proposed, he suggested a second opinion (another doctor's assessment) about possible laser treatment.

(Source: ok-lab's diary, published August 2023)
https://ok-lab.hatenablog.com/entry/2023/08/05/122956

If you see blood in your urine, even a small amount or for the first time, do not wait and see. See a urologist right away.

If you suddenly cannot urinate, or the device cannot be removed, do not try to fix it yourself. Go to a medical facility, including emergency care, immediately.

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How finding a hospital for chip removal changed over time

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OK Prostate Chip products related to finding a hospital for chip removal

No current product is directly tied to this topic.

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Common worries about finding a hospital for chip removal

The reader questions concern reaching a doctor, avoiding another incident, and whether a small practice can help.

"Would two threads prevent another stuck chip emergency?"

In an entry published in April 2019, a customer described a retained chip after its thread broke. Calls to 2 urology clinics felt suspicious and unwelcoming, so the customer abandoned those appointments despite urinary symptoms. The chip eventually came out after five and a half days, and the customer requested an additional thread as a safeguard.

Mr. Okada made a separate replacement with 2 threads and returned the original chip as a record of the incident. No matching product can be confirmed on the current list. His reply described fulfilling that request but did not establish whether the change prevented another emergency.

(Source: ok-lab's diary, published April 2019)
https://ok-lab.hatenablog.com/entry/2019/04/27/153239

"Will clinics remove a chip stuck near the opening?"

In an entry published in December 2022, a customer asked about a proposed home fix for a chip stuck near the urethral opening. OK Lab initially thought the idea might work, then warned about injury and said seeing a doctor seemed safer. An online search for urology clinics offering surgery led to treatment at the first clinic the customer selected, on an initial visit.

At reception, the customer described a trapped object and reserved the detailed explanation for the doctor, who rejected the proposed approach and completed removal. The reported charge was ¥1,760 (about $11 at ¥156 = $1, rate as of 2026-09-04) under Japan's National Health Insurance, and the customer subsequently reported recovery to normal. Mr. Okada considered emergency care another route for people who found negotiating an unfamiliar clinic difficult.

(Source: ok-lab's diary, published December 2022)
https://ok-lab.hatenablog.com/entry/2022/12/24/122944

"Would a larger stopper prevent another chip removal emergency?"

In an entry published in March 2024, a customer asked about a larger stopper (an attachment intended to prevent movement into the bladder). Their chip had entered the bladder; a small urology practice initially offered a general-hospital referral before its doctor agreed to attempt removal. Removal involving the attached thread took less than 30 minutes and cost ¥27,000 (about $173 at ¥156 = $1, rate as of 2026-09-04), according to the customer.

Mr. Okada offered a custom larger stopper in response to the customer's question about their unusually wide urethra. No matching product can be confirmed on the current list. He also suggested that a direct discussion with a private doctor could sometimes lead to treatment.

(Source: ok-lab's diary, published March 2024)
https://ok-lab.hatenablog.com/entry/2024/03/02/123027

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Buying from outside Japan

OK Lab ships internationally to countries covered by Japan Post's EMS courier service. Overseas orders are paid in advance by PayPal. Each order carries a ¥400 (about $3 at ¥156 = $1, rate as of 2026-09-04) handling fee, and EMS shipping is charged on top. These terms come from OK Lab's official sales-terms page (written here as plain text, not a link: ok-lab.net/docs/law), checked on September 7, 2026; confirm them on the official store before you order, because they can change.

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Summary of this article

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Source: ok-lab's diary (Okada Comfortable Life Laboratory). The original entries are in Japanese; quotations on this page are translated. Photos and videos are on the original entries.