An 11-year-old from Tardeo in Maharashtra accidentally swallowed a small cell of a digital watch. When he started coughing incessantly and had difficulty breathing, he was rushed to Jaslok Hospital, where he was successfully treated.
Speaking to FIT, the father of the child said,
Dr Harish Chafle, Consultant Respiratory Medicine at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, examined the patient and conducted an X-ray only to find that the cell had entered his lungs.
The child was revived and discharged within 24 hours after the treatment.
The doctor recalled other such cases where children tended to swallow tiny articles like peanuts, screws, pencil tips or cells. “I distinctly remember a 13-year-old boy who had come to me after three years of being told he had been suffering from bronchial asthma. After clinical examination, I found that he had swallowed a small peanut which had been causing the whistling sound.”
He cautioned that parents need to ensure that children are away from such items — and to watch them if they do end up playing with these. It’s a good option to pat their backs in a particular way to let the thing come out immediately.
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