Timely retrieve coin swallowed by 4 year old child in throat

The patient's family told doctors at Hung Thinh General Hospital that the child was playing with his grandmother at home and had swallowed a metal coin about 2 cm in diameter.

The hospital's X-ray results showed a foreign object, a coin about 2 cm in size, under the laryngeal sphincter.

X-ray image of a coin stuck in the neck of a 4-year-old patient in Lao Cai (Photo: Provided by Hung Thinh General Hospital).

Therefore, doctors from the Department of Functional Exploration (Hung Thinh General Hospital) quickly performed anesthesia and removed the esophageal foreign body through endoscopy using crocodile forceps.

Currently, the health of the 4-year-old patient who choked on a metal coin is recovering steadily.

Hung Thinh General Hospital has warned that foreign bodies in the airways and digestive tracts are very dangerous and need timely emergency treatment.

Round foreign objects can cause esophageal ulcers, esophageal perforation, and mediastinitis. If they pass down to the stomach or duodenum, they can lead to small intestinal obstruction, requiring surgery to resolve.

Sharp foreign objects can also perforate the esophagus, stomach and intestines.

To prevent unfortunate accidents for children, medical experts have advised parents to be careful when looking after children, not to do other things but to constantly supervise and keep children within sight.

Objects such as nails, screws, coins, batteries, needles, toothpicks, etc. or chemicals that can be dangerous to children such as kerosene, gasoline, laundry detergent, even boiling water, etc. must be kept far away and high out of reach of children to ensure safety.

Check children's toys regularly to ensure battery slots are locked in and secure.

When discovering that a child has a foreign object in their mouth (not yet swallowed), parents need to stay calm and gently coax the child to let the foreign object come out on their own. Absolutely do not put your hand in the child's mouth to remove the foreign object or make the child panic because doing so will cause the child to lose control, leading to swallowing the foreign object.

In case the child has swallowed a foreign object or has unusual symptoms such as vomiting, painful swallowing, difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain, etc., parents need to take the child to the nearest pediatric medical facility for timely monitoring, handling and treatment.

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/lao-cai-kip-thoi-lay-dong-xu-bi-be-4-tuoi-nuot-vao-trong-co-post250466.html