Lucknow: Doctors at the Department of Pediatric Surgical Superspecialities, SGPGIMS successfully managed and removed a foreign body lodged in the left bronchus of a 15-month-old child hailing from Jaunpur district. The child had been suffering from persistent vigorous cough, recurrent episodes of fever, and respiratory distress for nearly 20 days before being referred to SGPGI.
According to the treating team, the child had initially been managed with medications elsewhere for recurrent respiratory symptoms; however, the symptoms persisted due to an undiagnosed airway foreign body. Detailed evaluation and imaging at SGPGIMS raised suspicion of a bronchial foreign body, following which emergency bronchoscopy was planned.
A multidisciplinary team comprising experts from Pediatric Surgery, Pulmonary Medicine, and Anaesthesia successfully performed bronchoscopic removal of the foreign body from the left main bronchus under general anaesthesia. Following the procedure, the child showed significant clinical improvement with relief of cough and respiratory symptoms.
The procedure was conducted under the guidance of Prof. Basant Kumar, Prof. Ajmal Khan and Prof. Sanjay Kumar from department of Pediatric Surgery, Pulmonary Medicine and Anaesthesiology respectively along with resident doctors and operating room staff.
Doctors emphasized that incidents of airway and food-pipe foreign body ingestion are increasingly being observed
in preschool children, often due to accidental aspiration during play or feeding. Small objects such as peanuts, seeds, toy parts, coins, and buttons can become lodged in the airway and may lead to severe complications including recurrent pneumonia, lung collapse, breathing difficulty, and even life-threatening respiratory emergencies, if diagnosis is delayed.
The treating team appealed to parents and caregivers to remain vigilant and avoid giving small food particles or objects to young children without supervision. They also stressed the importance of seeking immediate medical attention in children who develop sudden cough, choking episodes, noisy breathing, or persistent respiratory symptoms following suspected aspiration.
The successful management highlights the importance of early diagnosis, multidisciplinary coordination, and advanced pediatric airway intervention facilities available at SGPGIMS, Lucknow.
