Odisha: Doctors Successfully Retrieve Nail from 10-Year-Old Girl’s Airway
KIMS doctors in Bhubaneswar removed a metallic nail lodged in a 10-year-old girl’s right bronchus. The child recovered without complications.
In a challenging medical intervention, a team of doctors at the Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Bhubaneswar has successfully removed a metallic nail lodged in the airway of a 10-year-old girl from Koraput district, averting a potentially life-threatening situation.
The child had accidentally inhaled the metallic object, which was part of a nail art instrument, two days before being brought to the hospital. Subsequent medical examinations and imaging investigations revealed that the nail had become lodged in the right bronchus, the main airway that carries air from the windpipe into the right lung.
The presence of a foreign object in the bronchus can obstruct airflow and potentially lead to serious respiratory complications if not removed promptly. Considering the location of the object and the risks involved, the doctors decided to perform a rigid bronchoscopy, a specialised procedure used to examine the air passages and retrieve foreign objects lodged in the respiratory tract.
A multidisciplinary team comprising specialists from the departments of ENT and Anaesthesiology performed the procedure under general anaesthesia. Using a rigid bronchoscope, a specialised tube-like instrument designed to provide access to the airways, the doctors carefully reached the affected bronchus and extracted the metallic nail.
The procedure was completed successfully without any complications. The child responded well to the intervention, recovered satisfactorily and was shifted to the hospital ward for further observation.
The successful intervention highlights the importance of timely diagnosis and specialised medical expertise in managing foreign-body aspiration, particularly among children. Accidental inhalation of small objects can sometimes remain undetected initially but may cause serious complications when lodged in the respiratory passages.
The medical team involved in the procedure was led by Dr Manas Ranjan Rout and included Dr Satyanjaya Sahoo, Dr Sneha, Dr Manisha Mallick, Dr Sangram Keshari Das, Dr Supriya Kar and Dr Anjali Kumari.
Hospital authorities said the coordinated efforts of the specialists and the use of advanced endoscopic techniques helped ensure the safe removal of the foreign object and the child's recovery.
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Photograph: Retrieved nail.
