A routine act of adjusting her hijab nearly turned fatal for a 15-year-old girl from Panigate, Vadodara, offering a stark warning against the common habit of holding objects in one's mouth. The teenager had a miraculous escape after she accidentally swallowed a sharp hijab pin, which then travelled and got lodged in her airway perilously close to her heart.
A Terrifying Accident and Swift Medical Response
The incident occurred on Saturday, January 3. According to Dr. Ranjan Aiyer, Dean and Medical Superintendent of SSG Hospital, the girl was wearing her hijab and had placed the pin in her mouth while using her hands to adjust the pleats of the cloth. In an attempt to shout with the pin still in her mouth, she accidentally inhaled it. She immediately began experiencing throat pain, severe coughing, and difficulty in breathing.
Her family rushed her to the emergency department of SSG Hospital within an hour. An urgent X-ray revealed the gravity of the situation: the metallic pin was lodged in her left main bronchus, positioned dangerously close to her heart. This required immediate medical intervention to prevent potentially life-threatening damage to her lungs or heart.
The Delicate Procedure to Save a Life
The hospital's ENT and head-neck surgery department sprang into action. The team, led by Dr. Rahul Gupta, decided to perform a rigid bronchoscopy under general anaesthesia to retrieve the foreign object. This complex procedure involves inserting a hollow metal tube equipped with a camera and light into the airways to locate and remove obstructions.
Dr. Aiyer explained the challenges, stating that the doctors had to navigate the "dark tunnels of the food and breathing passage" to find the pin. They had to carefully assess the pin's orientation and sharp edges to manoeuvre the scope without causing internal injury. The trachea, being a fibrocartilaginous passage, demanded extreme caution. The procedure was successful, and the pin was removed within four hours of her admission.
The hospital confirmed that the pin was found in the left main bronchus, impinging on the right wall of the trachea. Following the operation, the girl was monitored and was discharged on Wednesday morning, free from any dangerous respiratory complications.
A Crucial Warning for Adults and Children Alike
Following the girl's recovery and discharge, Dr. Aiyer issued an important public safety message. While foreign body removals are more common in children, he emphasized that adults are also at risk due to careless habits.
"Many people use their mouths to chew open pins. It is common for the pins to slip into the mouth and down the food and windpipe accidentally. Such acts should be avoided," he cautioned. He specifically noted that women, who often hold sharp pins in their mouths while adjusting clothing, should be particularly vigilant.
This harrowing incident from Vadodara serves as a powerful reminder that holding pins, needles, or other small objects in the mouth is a hazardous practice with potentially severe consequences. The teen's narrow escape underscores the importance of breaking this dangerous habit to prevent similar emergencies.
