the life of a child with a nail lodged in one of her lungs, she was saved this Saturday night by a team of doctors from the Octavio de la Concepción de la Pedraja Pediatric Hospital, in the province of Holguin.
The three-year-old boy arrived at that institution with the foreign body at the level of the right trunk bronchus after accidentally aspirating the nail, according to the reportage published by the provincial newspaper Now.
#Holguin #Cuba
In Holguín they save a child who swallowed a nail #CubaLiveYWork#UnityandContinuityhttps://t.co/65I7xEYHln— now.cu (@ahoracu) March 6, 2023
According to the outlet, the event occurred in the municipality of Cueto, and from that moment the Integrated Medical Emergency System (Sium) was activated to transfer the patient to the hospital, located in the provincial capital.
“The communication reached the Pediatric Guard of our hospital along with the sending by WhatsApp of chest X-ray photos taken of the minor there in Cueto. The fact indicated urgency, for which the resident of Otorrino immediately notified Dr. Antonia María Salermo Reyes, provincial head of the specialty, and me, who was at home sleeping, it was around 11 at night, “said the Dr. Mavil Isabel Benítez Fernández, Second Degree Specialist in Otorhinolaryngology.
A multidisciplinary team made up of otolaryngologists, anesthesiologists and nurses received the minor at the hospital. “We perform an exploratory bronchoscopy, this is a very risky procedure, because it involves acting with a rigid 6.7-mm bronchoscope, which enters through the mouth, passes through the larynx, the trachea, and then reaches the lung, from where the foreign body is extracted”, added the specialist.
He also recognized that it is an act of many dangers: ranging from tearing of the mucosa, bleeding, perforation of the trachea and/or bronchi, to cardiorespiratory arrest and the death of the patient.
In 25 minutes the nail was extracted. The medical team returned home around 5 in the morning after leaving the patient stable in the Intensive Care Unit, where his possible hospital discharge is being evaluated, the publication specifies.
In addition, doctors Mavil and Antonia María participated directly in this procedure, the anesthesiologists Gonzalo Sergio Antas Monte and Leidis Ajo de los Reyes, as well as support staff.
The outlet recalls that in 2023 the otolaryngology specialists in the territory have had two other similar cases, one per month: the first was a grain of corn, in January; the second a bean, in February and now a nail.
Dr. Benítez Fernández recalls that aspiration of foreign bodies occurs in patients whose hands already have the function of “digital forceps” and can insert objects into the mouth.
He pointed out the importance of an adult always supervising the child. They should never play alone or leave objects within their reach that can be inserted into their mouths, noses, or ears.
In this case of Cueto, the child told his mother that his throat “itched”, but when she insisted on the conversation, the child revealed that he had swallowed a nail, for which he was transferred to the health area. There, X-ray studies were carried out, in which the presence of the foreign body, lodged in the right bronchus, was appreciated.
