Tay Nguyen General Hospital successfully treated a child with multiple foreign objects in the airways.

On April 4, the Central Highlands General Hospital announced that it had successfully treated a 6-year-old boy who had multiple foreign objects stuck in his airways.

The patient is YSN (born in 2019, residing in Yang Mao commune, Krong Bong district, Dak Lak province). On April 2, the Central Highlands General Hospital admitted the patient in a state of difficulty breathing, wheezing and rales in the lungs, especially in the right lung. According to the patient's family, 1 month ago, the child had a persistent cough, treatment in many places did not help. The cough symptoms increased day by day, difficulty breathing increased, especially at night, so the family took the child to the hospital.

The doctor examined the patient.

After recording the case of the child, doctors at the Central Highlands General Hospital performed a chest X-ray. The results showed a suspicious image of a small radiopaque foreign body, signs of localized lung collapse and increased brightness in the right lung, suggesting partial obstruction. The child was then anesthetized with endotracheal intubation and bronchoscopy. The results revealed that the foreign body was a small, transparent LED light bulb located in the lower lobe bronchus of the right lung, causing inflammation and partial obstruction of the right lung. After identifying the foreign body, the doctors quickly and successfully removed the foreign body.

However, after removing the foreign object, the doctors monitored and discovered that the child's symptoms had not completely subsided. Realizing that the difficulty breathing was not commensurate with the lung damage, raising the question of the existence of another foreign object, in order not to miss any possibility, the child was ordered by the doctors to continue to have a comprehensive CT scan. The results were surprising when another foreign object was discovered in the posterior nasal opening. On the afternoon of April 3, the doctors continued to perform a posterior nasal endoscopy and successfully removed the foreign object, a pencil eraser, it is not clear how long it had been stuck. After 2 times of removing the foreign object, the child still has severe pneumonia due to prolonged obstruction and is continuing to be treated at the General Pediatrics Department with antibiotics, oxygen support, and close monitoring of respiratory progress.

According to Dr. Tran Thi Thuy Minh - Head of the Department of Pediatrics, Central Highlands General Hospital, choking on foreign bodies in the airways is a common emergency in young children, especially those under 5 years old, due to their curiosity and fondness for putting objects in their mouths. However, diagnosis can be difficult when the foreign body is transparent or radiopaque, leading to delayed treatment and the risk of serious complications. Therefore, Dr. Tran Thi Thuy Minh recommends that parents should be careful when letting their children play with small, easy-to-swallow objects or eat foods with small bones or seeds. If you suspect your child is choking on a foreign body, take him or her to a medical facility immediately for timely treatment to avoid possible dangerous complications.

Source: https://daklak.gov.vn/-/benh-vien-a-khoa-vung-tay-nguyen-cap-cuu-thanh-cong-benh-nhi-mac-nhieu-di-vat-uong-tho