Toddler Swallows Hulk Toy; Doctors Remove Toy Via Endoscopy

Ahmedabad : Doctors at a government hospital in Ahmedabad have removed an entire plastic toy that a toddler had swallowed, which could have potentially damaged his intestines, an official said on Wednesday. The one-and-a-half-year-old boy had a small 'Hulk' toy, based on a popular comic superhero, stuck in his stomach when his parents brought him to the Civil Hospital, said Dr Rakesh Joshi, Head of the Department of Pediatric Surgery.

The toy was removed entirely through upper GI endoscopy, Dr Joshi said.

"Had it been a little late, the toy could have moved further from the stomach and got stuck in the intestines. In that case, there would have been a risk of intestinal blockage and even rupture," the senior doctor said.

On January 18, Dr Joshi said, the child's mother found her son vomiting and in distress. She became anxious after realising that one of his toys was missing.

Fearing that the toddler had swallowed his "green Hulk", the family rushed him to the Civil Hospital, where doctors were stunned when an X-ray showed the entire toy in the stomach.

Dr Joshi said the toy stuck in the child's stomach was not a piece but a full-sized character with arms, legs and a head.

"There is a natural valve between the oesophagus and the stomach. The biggest challenge was to take out a whole toy through this valve. When we tried to grab it with the endoscope, the toy kept slipping because of the air in the stomach.

"Pulling the toy by its hand or foot raised the possibility of it getting stuck in the valve and causing it permanent damage," he said.

After a lot of effort, the doctors managed to hold the head of the toy and pulled it out, Dr Joshi said. Had the toy slipped down, there was a risk of the intestine rupturing, necessitating an operation, he said.

The procedure was conducted on January 19, and the child is now completely healthy, the official added.