Kerala: 7-year-old boy from Maldives accidentally swallows 5 cm long needle; undergoes surgery in Kochi

A 7-year-old boy from Maldives accidentally swallowed a pin while playing. He was brought to Kochi's Amrita Hospital for surgery.

Kochi: A seven-year-old child had a needle extracted from his lung after it was accidentally swallowed while playing. On October 22, while playing, the child—who is from the Maldives—consumed a hijab pin, which is a big needle used in clothing. Following this, the child who suffered bleeding was immediately rushed to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Maldives.

An X-ray examination conducted here revealed that the needle was dangerously lying horizontally at the base of the left lung near the lower lobe.

The child was rushed to Kochi from Maldives by helicopter for expert treatment as he continued to cough heavily and bleed. Under the leadership of Chief Interventional Pulmonologist Dr. Tinku Joseph at Kochi Amrita Hospital, the 5 cm long needle stuck in the child's lung was removed through rigid bronchoscopy.
After a three-and-a-half-hour rigid bronchoscopy procedure, the needle was eventually removed. To minimise further hazards, the needle was withdrawn after being slightly bent inside the lung.

Dr. Tinku Joseph responded that the needle was stuck close to the major blood vessels leading to the heart which was a major challenge and it was rare to remove such a long needle without open surgery and rigid bronchoscopy. The child, who has been discharged from the hospital, will return to the Maldives with his parents on Sunday.