Navi Mumbai: A peanut, stuck in the respiratory tract of a 14-month-old girl child from Navi Mumbai for three weeks, was successfully removed by a team of paediatricians at Apollo Hospital. The foreign object was removed after 30 minutes of rigid bronchoscopy, a complex endoscopy.
The family, who was unaware of the peanut, had been visiting various hospitals for respiratory issues faced by the child, who was in an unconscious state when shifted to the hospital with SpO2 or oxygen saturation of 70-75 per cent.
Explaining the infant’s critical condition, a doctor said, “The patient was suffering from respiratory distress and wheezing. She was being treated for hyperreactive airway disease (HRAD) and lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) at various other hospitals. She had also screened positive for Covid.” The doctor said that the baby was immediately intubated and ventilated, the medico said, adding that she was treated with nebulisation, steroids and antibiotics.
Considering the severe hypoxia (lack of oxygen) lasting for almost three weeks, the possibility of a foreign body was considered and a CT of chest region was done. Immediately, the team took high-risk consent from parents.
Despite all these procedures, her left lung had still completely collapsed due to the peanut obstructing for such a long duration. Hence, the baby was kept in a post-operative ward when she reported improvement in her breathing. Now, she is breathing normally with both her lungs and doing well without any difficulty or need for external oxygen.
Terming the baby’s condition as a critical case, Apollo Hospitals paediatrics consultant Dr Abhijit Bagde said, “Sometimes children, especially under five years of age, swallow or inhale objects like peanuts, small plastic or metallic parts of toys, or any other small object. These foreign bodies can also congest the windpipe or trachea blocking the airway passage.” The case could have been fatal if the medical procedure hadn’t been performed just in the nick of time, he added.
