Nghe An: Saving the life of a 6-year-old girl who was choking on a pencil stub

Doctor Phan Quang Trung, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital said: The department has just saved the life of a child patient, Tran Thanh H (6 years old), from Dien Chau, Nghe An, whose bronchus was completely blocked due to swallowing a foreign object, a pencil tip.

A 2cm long pencil-tip foreign object was removed from the bronchus of patient Tran Thanh H. Photo: BVSN

According to H's family, after returning from school, he told his parents that he had swallowed a pencil tip and was immediately taken to the district hospital for examination. At that time, the patient showed no unusual symptoms and was completely conscious. After the examination, the lower level hospital quickly transferred the patient to Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital to remove the foreign object.

Upon arrival at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, the patient's condition worsened, he had difficulty breathing, his whole body turned purple, his heart stopped and he stopped breathing. The Emergency Clinic transferred the patient directly to the Intensive Care Unit. The Intensive Care Unit doctors quickly intubated and put the patient on a ventilator for emergency treatment.

Immediately, the doctors of the Emergency Department consulted with the Department of Otorhinolaryngology to perform surgery and remove the foreign object from the patient. After more than 1 hour, the surgical team removed the foreign object in the patient's bronchus, which was a pencil tip with a diameter of 2 cm, saving the patient's life. Currently, after surgery, the patient's health has stabilized and he is continuing to be monitored and treated at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology.

Patient Tran Thanh H is currently continuing to be monitored and treated at the ENT Department, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Photo: BVSN

Recently, there have been many cases of children choking on foreign objects requiring emergency treatment at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Doctors recommend that parents should not let their children come into contact with small objects or eat large foods. When detecting signs of difficulty breathing due to swallowing foreign objects, they should be taken immediately to a hospital with sufficient expertise for timely treatment. In addition, when correctly identifying a child choking on a foreign object, care must be taken during transportation because the foreign object can move into the airway, endangering life.