Infant's first birthday turns fatal after he consumes plastic sticker

Bengaluru: An infant's first birthday turned fatal after he accidently consumed a plastic sticker. The family was unaware till the baby developed a cough and noisy breathing which continued for a fortnight.

Describing the case Dr K. R. Bharath Reddy (Pediatric Pulmonologist from Shishuka Children's Specialty Hospital) said, "This baby had a history of noisy breathing and cough for almost two weeks though he was playing well and his oxygen level was normal.

However, I could hear him constantly wheezing despite undergoing nebulization and taking cough syrups. We did Flexible Bronchoscopy (a procedure that allows a clinician to examine the breathing passages (airways) of the lungs). I noticed a yellowish green object sticking to the wall of the right main bronchus. This is the main airway that goes to the right side of the lung. There was a lot of granulation tissue and a sticky pus around the foreign object. Though I tried to remove it from the forceps but it was not possible. So, we decided to go for a Rigid Bronchoscopy (a procedure used to gain access to the patient's airway and allows the passage of larger airway instruments and cameras to diagnose and treat airway disease).

However, the family took the infant to Rainbow Children's Hospital, Marathalli.

Dr. Antony Robert Charles (Pediatric Surgeon, Rainbow Children's Hospital, Marathalli) said, "We tried the rigid bronchoscope appropriate for the child's age and removed the plastic object. By then, the object had changed the lining of wind pipes on the right side. The child recovered well and was discharged from the hospital the next day itself. This case is an eye opener for all the parents because we generally see kids above the age of two consuming foreign objects while it is generally not seen in kids below the age of one."

"However, this case points to the fact that the parents need to be extremely careful. In the case of this one year old, if the object was not removed on time, it could have been life threatening as well. We had recently seen a case where a one-year old had accidentally consumed his mother's earring. So, the message is loud and clear that parents need to be extremely careful and need to see a doctor if they see any change in their child's breathing, especially a noisy or choking sound when they are sleeping," he added.