Bhubaneswar: In a remarkable and pioneering effort, the Department of Pediatrics at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar successfully saved the life of a 9-year-old boy by performing a ground-breaking bronchoscopic intervention to remove a stitching needle lodged in the lungs. This achievement marks the first instance of removing such sharp foreign bodies without resorting to open surgery in any pediatrics center in Odisha.
The young patient, hailing from West Bengal, was brought to AIIMS Bhubaneswar after aspirating a stitching needle, approximately 4 CM in length, into the left lower lobe bronchus lateral segment of the lungs. The expert team of pediatricians, including Dr. Rashmi Ranjan Das, Dr. Krishna M Gulla, Dr. Ketan, and Dr. Ramakrishna, skillfully performed bronchoscopic interventions to extract the needle without encountering any complications.
Executive Director Dr. Ashutosh Biswas extends his heartfelt congratulations to the dedicated team of doctors, praising their life-saving procedure. He encourages continued excellence in such interventions in the future. The entire process, taking approximately 1 hour, spared the young patient from a major life-threatening surgery (thoracotomy). Dr. Rashmi Ranjan Das emphasizes that such a surgery could have jeopardized the boy’s health, potentially requiring the removal of a portion of the lungs.
The patient, admitted for four days post-procedure, is now in stable condition and on the path to recovery. This innovative procedure, available at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar and only a few centers across India, utilizes less invasive flexible bronchoscopy for the removal of sharp airway foreign bodies.
Dr. Krishna M Gulla informs that AIIMS Bhubaneswar boasts a dedicated Pediatric Pulmonology and ICU team, performing bronchoscopic interventions from neonatal age to 15 years, providing comprehensive care under one roof—an unprecedented service not available in private sector health facilities in Odisha.
The Department of Pediatrics at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, equipped with a pediatric bronchoscopic facility since 2021, continues to be a vital tool for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. This facility has proven instrumental in emergency foreign body removal, introducing a novel approach to challenging pediatric cases related to respiratory diseases.
The success stories are a result of collaborative efforts with specialists from Pediatrics, Pediatric Surgery, ENT, and Radiology, showcasing AIIMS Bhubaneswar’s commitment to providing exceptional care for children facing respiratory problems.
