Surgeons from the Da Nang Family General Hospital have performed an endoscopy to remove a foreign body, which is a stone sample attached to a ring, from the stomach of a 16-month-old boy.

Surgeons from the Da Nang Family General Hospital are seen performing an endoscopy to remove a stone sample attached to a ring from the stomach of the 16-month-old boy. Photo: L.H

The little boy, residing in Da Nang, was taken to the Family General Hospital by his parents for emergency due to his falling into a state of choking, lethargy, cyanosis and difficulty breathing.

Examinations and paraclinical measures showed that there was a foreign body in the stomach of the boy.

Through consultation, the doctors determined that he was in a state of mental disturbance, so it was very difficult for doctors to remove this large-sized foreign object from his stomach.

In order to limit possible complications, the doctors decided to perform endoscopic anesthesia to pick up the foreign body.

After 15 minutes of performing endoscopy, the doctors removed the foreign body, which is a stone sample attached to a 1cm-sized ring face.

The child patient’s mother said, 30 minutes before being admitted to the hospital, he fell down to the ground while playing. After that, seeing the baby crying, choking, having difficulty breathing, the family took him to the emergency room.

According to doctor Nguyen Quang Sang, who directly performed endoscopic removal of the foreign body from the boy’s stomach, the accidental swallowing of gastrointestinal foreign body needs to be diagnosed and treated early, because it is life-threatening.

Parents should promptly recognise signs of their children swallowing foreign bodies and take them to the nearest medical facility in a case of detecting such signs as irritability, fussiness, increased salivation, pain when swallowing, abdominal pain or vomiting, vomiting blood, bloody stools or coughing, choking, difficulty breathing and respiratory failure.

The longer the foreign body stays in the lung, the more severe the complication is.

Reporting by LE HUNG - Translating by A.THU