Four-year-old from Pune chokes on seed, survives two cardiac arrests

As an emergency measure, a tube was inserted into the boy’s main windpipe so as to push the foreign body to one side, which would enable at least one lung to start functioning. He required resuscitation after which he recovered and regained consciousness.

Doctors recently saved the life of a four-year-old-boy who was brought to a private hospital complaining ingestion of unknown foreign body followed by choking and difficulty in breathing. The child suffered a cardiac arrest at the hospital as something was stuck in his windpipe.

The child with his parents. (HT PHOTO)

As an emergency measure, a tube was inserted into the boy’s main windpipe so as to push the foreign body to one side, which would enable at least one lung to start functioning. He required resuscitation after which he recovered and regained consciousness. The medical team carried out a CT scan with virtual bronchoscopy to understand the nature of the foreign body better. The jammed foreign body had caused severe inflammation and swelling to the bronchus.

The patient was shifted to Jehangir hospital on July 2. The bronchoscopy revealed a seed stuck in the bronchus causing obstruction to the lung. While undergoing treatment, the child got an attack of fits on July 3. His heart slowed down and the child suffered another cardiac arrest. The paediatric emergency team then carried out cardiopulmonary resuscitation and revived the child.

In due course of time, he was weaned off the ventilator onto spontaneous breathing and his oxygenation remained stable. Later, the child recovered and was discharged.