21-month-old boy choked on tissue paper

At 1 p.m. on April 1, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital admitted baby Dat (21 months old), residing in Vinh Tan ward, Vinh city. The baby was admitted to the Emergency Department with severe coughing, wheezing, crying, difficulty breathing, purple lips, and reduced left lung ventilation. The preliminary diagnosis upon admission was severe pneumonia.

However, the child's subsequent clinical symptoms did not develop in the same way as the initial diagnosis. Dat continued to have difficulty breathing and had a cyanotic cough. The on-call team consulted with the ENT and anesthesia specialists to come up with a diagnosis and treatment plan. After the consultation, the doctors suspected a foreign object was blocking the airway.

The foreign objects removed were pieces of tissue paper. Photo: Tran Hien

The patient was transferred to the ENT department, the surgical team quickly decided to perform bronchoscopy using a flexible tube combined with a rigid tube to remove the foreign object for the child.

Doctor Trinh Thanh Hung - Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital said: "During the endoscopy, because the foreign object was soft and crumbly, lying deep and completely blocking the left lung bronchus, and staying in the airway for a long time, it was very difficult to remove the foreign object. The result of the specimen removed from the child's bronchus included many pieces of tissue paper. After the foreign object was removed, Dat's health returned to normal."

After the foreign object was removed, Dat's health returned to normal. Photo: Tran Hien

Doctor Hung recommends: Children often have the habit of putting objects in their hands into their mouths. Foreign objects fall into the airway when inhaling strongly or when laughing, crying, etc. Therefore, parents should be careful with foods and small toys that can cause foreign objects to get stuck in children to limit unfortunate accidents from happening.