Kochi hospital removes 4 cm pin stuck in toddler’s airway

Kochi: In a rare medical intervention, a team of doctors at a private hospital in Kochi has removed a 4 cm-long metallic pin from the airway of a one-year-old baby who had accidentally aspirated the object. The child was rushed to the VPS Lakeshore Hospital's emergency room in severe respiratory distress, prompting immediate intervention.

Dr Mujeeb Rahman, a consultant in pulmonology at the Department of Pulmonary Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, led the medical team in performing a bronchoscopy under general anaesthesia (GA) after imaging confirmed the presence of the pin in the child's bronchial passage, posing a serious risk of airway obstruction.

“The case highlights the importance of quick medical intervention in cases of pin aspiration, particularly among infants and toddlers who are at higher risk of inhaling small objects. We are relieved that the child is now safe and recovering well,” said Dr Mujeeb Rahman.

The same medical team had earlier removed a fish bone stuck in the lungs of an elderly person for over a year. The 2 cm-long fish bone had been trapped in the lung of a 64-year-old patient for over a year — after being misdiagnosed as a tumour at multiple hospitals.

The patient with systemic hypertension and type II diabetes mellitus had been experiencing recurrent episodes of left lower lobe obstructive pneumonia, along with persistent left-sided chest pain, cough, and mild breathlessness for over a year. An endoscopic examination revealed a fish bone lodged in his lung, which had triggered the formation of granulomatous tissue due to prolonged irritation.