Kerala: 4 cm long cockroach removed from lungs of 55-year-old man in Kochi

The cockroach was removed from the lung of a person who sought treatment for severe breathing problems at Amritha Hospital in Kochi.

Kochi: A 4 cm-long cockroach was removed from the lungs of a 55-year-old man in Kochi. The cockroach was removed from the lung of a person who sought treatment for severe breathing problems at Amritha Hospital in Kochi. A medical team led by Dr Tinku Jospeh, Head of Interventional Pulmonology, removed the cockroach from the lungs.

The incident happened on February 22. The health experts said that the cockroach entered the lungs through a tube that was pierced in the neck to give oxygen to a patient with respiratory problems.

The man's breathing becomes severe. Later, the ENT department performed a bronchoscopy and found cockroaches in the lungs. With this, the medical team of the interventional pulmonology department examined the patient. The cockroach was removed from the lungs after about eight hours of respiratory arrest. By this time, the cockroach was in a state where it was starting to crumble.

Dr. Tinku Joseph explained to Asianet News Online that people seek medical help with many things stuck in their lungs, but experiences like being trapped by a cockroach are very rare.  The health experts speculate that such incidents may occur due to negligence, such as forgetting to close the breathing tube. Notably, the 55-year-old man involved in the incident has been discharged from the hospital.