13-year-old boy in danger of foreign object penetrating bronchus while chewing on pin while watching phone

Just a moment of carelessness while looking at the phone and sucking on a small pin, a 13-year-old boy in Hanoi was in danger when the foreign object fell into the airway, penetrating deep into the bronchial wall. Luckily, doctors at the Central Lung Hospital were able to promptly and successfully handle this case.

Image of flexible endoscopy to remove foreign body pin penetrating the wall of the intermediate bronchus.

Doctors at the Central Lung Hospital have just successfully treated a case of a 13-year-old patient with PTTP who had a sharp foreign object stuck deep in his airway after he accidentally inhaled it while holding it in his mouth while watching a phone.

According to the family, on the evening of October 13, 2025, baby P. was sitting watching his phone while holding a 2.5cm long board pin in his mouth. While laughing loudly, the pin suddenly fell into his throat, causing him to cough, have difficulty breathing, feel something stuck in his chest, and have difficulty speaking.

The family panicked and took the child to a nearby hospital. Here, the patient underwent blood tests, chest CT scans, and flexible bronchoscopy. Doctors determined that the foreign object was deep in the right intermediate bronchus. Because the foreign object was sharp and pierced the bronchial wall, causing bleeding and mucosal edema, removing it was very difficult. After more than 2 hours of unsuccessful surgery, the patient was urgently transferred to the Central Lung Hospital.

Image of foreign body pin penetrating the wall of the intermediate bronchus.

Receiving the case, Master, Specialist II Doctor Nguyen Le Nhat Minh - Head of the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Endoscopy (Central Lung Hospital) and his team quickly performed a flexible bronchoscopy procedure to remove the foreign object for treatment.

“The foreign object is a sharp pin, stuck in the intermediate bronchus, the sharp tip penetrates deep into the bronchial wall. This is a very difficult case of removing a foreign object, because in addition to the nature and characteristics of the foreign object as above, the patient also reacts by reflex, so it requires quick and absolutely precise manipulation to avoid tearing the bronchial wall or pushing the foreign object deeper, which can lead to infection, bleeding, pneumothorax, and pneumomediastinum.

These complications can even cause acute respiratory failure for the patient. Therefore, after a comprehensive assessment, the team carefully removed the nail head that was embedded in the bronchial wall to a free state using specialized bronchoscopy forceps, then slowly and successfully removed the foreign object. The process took place within 15 minutes,” said Dr. Minh.

After the procedure, the patient's cough was significantly reduced, his difficulty breathing was relieved, and he still had mild chest tightness. However, he still had to be monitored due to complications of mediastinal emphysema and subcutaneous emphysema in the neck area. Currently, the patient's health has stabilized, his symptoms have improved, and he is still being treated according to the internal medicine regimen after inhaling a foreign body.

Currently, the patient's health is stable, symptoms are progressing well and he is still being treated according to internal medicine regimen after inhaling foreign objects.

Sharing the incident, the child was still scared: “At first, I was just playing around. I was sitting on my desk at night watching my phone, while watching, I used my hand to put the document pin in my mouth to play with it. I didn’t expect that just by laughing, the pin would fall into my throat, and I couldn’t stop coughing. I was very scared, had difficulty breathing, had difficulty speaking, and had something stuck in my throat. My mother took me to the Central Lung Hospital, and the doctors were able to remove the foreign object for me.”

According to Dr. Minh, children, especially those between the ages of 5 and 15, often have the habit of sucking on objects such as pens, pins, pen caps, coins, etc. When laughing, talking or inhaling strongly, foreign objects can enter the airways, causing serious consequences. Sharp foreign objects are even more dangerous because they can easily puncture the mucous membranes, causing bleeding or infection, and in some cases, even cause life-threatening acute respiratory failure. Therefore, parents should absolutely not let their children play with or hold small, sharp objects, and at the same time, instruct them to avoid putting anything in their mouths. At the same time, it is necessary to coordinate with schools and medical facilities to educate about the dangers of actions that cause inhalation of foreign objects in the airways.

From the case of child P., the Central Lung Hospital recommends: When children show signs of coughing, sudden difficulty breathing, or are suspected of inhaling a foreign object, they should be taken to a respiratory medical facility immediately and not treated at home to avoid the risk of serious complications.

QUYNH HUONG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ngam-dinh-ghim-khi-xem-dien-thoai-be-trai-13-tuoi-gap-nguy-hiem-vi-di-vat-xuyen-phe-quan-post917164.html