A three-and-a-half-year-old boy from Maharashtra's Kolhapur, who had been battling relentless cough and breathlessness for nearly three months, is finally breathing easy after doctors removed a tiny metal LED bulb lodged deep inside his lung.
What had been mistaken for pneumonia turned out to be a rare case of foreign body aspiration: one that baffled doctors for weeks.
The child had undergone several rounds of antibiotics after being diagnosed with pneumonia, but his symptoms refused to subside. A CT scan finally revealed the culprit—a metallic object stuck in the left bronchus.
Doctors in Kolhapur tried to remove it using flexible bronchoscopy but failed. By the time he was referred to the Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai, the object had already narrowed the airway and compromised lung function.
At Jaslok, thoracic surgeon Dr Vimesh Rajput and ENT surgeon Dr Divya Prabhat took charge of the boy's case. A rigid bronchoscopy confirmed the obstruction, but attempts to retrieve it failed.
The team then decided on a minimally invasive (but high-risk) procedure—a mini thoracotomy. Through a 4 cm incision, the surgeons extracted what turned out to be the LED bulb of a toy car.
“It was one of the rarest cases we’ve seen,” Dr Rajput said.
“The bulb had embedded itself in the lung tissue, which made conventional retrieval impossible. With careful planning, we managed to remove it safely and restore normal breathing.”
Dr Prabhat added that persistent respiratory issues in children should always raise red flags.
“Often, they mimic pneumonia or asthma, leading to delays in diagnosis. Advanced imaging can make all the difference."
For the child's parents, the surgery brought an end to a long nightmare.
“For three months, we were in fear, not knowing what was wrong,” his father said. “The doctors here gave our son a new life. We are forever grateful.”
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Jaslok’s chief medical officer Dr Milind Khadke cautioned that foreign body aspiration is more common than parents assume.
“Something as small as a toy part can block a child’s airway or damage the lungs. If a child has unexplained respiratory issues, parents should seek specialist care without delay.”
The case underscores the importance of early detection, timely referral, and surgical expertise in paediatric emergencies. It also serves as a reminder for parents to be vigilant about what their children play with, especially small detachable parts that can easily be swallowed.