On 2/8, Doctor Nguyen Van Chien, from the Department of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care at Tay Nguyen General Hospital, reported that the patient, from Dak Wil commune, Lam Dong province, was admitted on 29/7. The infant was in severe respiratory failure (degree 4), experiencing difficulty breathing, drowsiness, and bluish discoloration.

Doctors successfully removed the foreign object via endoscopy, clearing the patient's airway. Photo: Quang Nhat

Para-clinical tests revealed a screw, approximately 4 cm long, lodged in the baby's airway. The treatment team successfully removed the foreign object via endoscopy, clearing the infant's airway.

According to Doctor Chien, the foreign object caused severe respiratory failure, and if not treated promptly, it could lead to respiratory arrest, threatening the infant's life. Following the intervention, the patient's health stabilized, respiratory function improved significantly, and the infant remains under observation.

Airway foreign objects pose a serious risk to young children, especially those under two years old and newborns, due to their narrow airways and immature protective reflexes. Even a small foreign object can cause complete obstruction, leading to oxygen deprivation, cardiac arrest, or death if the child does not receive immediate emergency care.

Doctors advise parents not to allow children access to small objects such as screws, coins, buttons, button batteries, seeds, or toys with small parts. If a child shows signs like sudden choking, difficulty breathing, bluish discoloration, wheezing, weak crying, or drowsiness after suspected foreign object aspiration, they should be taken to a medical facility immediately for emergency treatment.

Ngoc Oanh