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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Surgery saves boy who gulped tiny LED bulb

Mumbai : In a bizarre development, a small boy from Kolhapur swallowed a tiny LED light bulb a few months ago that got stuck deep in his...

Surgery saves boy who gulped tiny LED bulb

Mumbai : In a bizarre development, a small boy from Kolhapur swallowed a tiny LED light bulb a few months ago that got stuck deep in his lung causing huge trauma and emotional stress for his family, officials said.   When the unusual case was referred to the Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre (JHRC), a team of medicos successfully extricated the foreign object lodged in the three-and-half-year-old boy’s chest.   Recounting the remarkable feat, a JHRC official said the child, Aarav Patil was reported to be suffering from severe breathing difficulties and incessant coughing for almost three months.   Doctors treating him at his home town initially mistook it for pneumonia and subjected him to multiple courses of antibiotics and other medicines, but there was improvement in the boy’s condition.   Subsequently, he was taken for advanced tests, examinations and a CT Scan which revealed the shocker – a metallic object was sitting inside the boy’s left bronchus, partially blocking the airway.   More tests identified the offending object – it was a LED bulb from a toy car – a development so rare that even seasoned doctors described it as a ‘one in a million case’.   Though doctors in Kolhapur attempted to retrieve the foreign body through flexible bronchoscopy - a minimally invasive procedure - the attempts proved to be unsuccessful.   As Aarav’s condition appeared to deteriorate, his desperate family rushed him to JHRC and he was referred to a team of specialist doctors.   After studying his case and examining Aarav, the medical team comprising thoracic surgeon Dr. Vimesh Rajput, ENT surgeon Dr. Divya Prabhat and Dr. Anurag Jain discovered that the bulb had not only blocked the bronchus but had also embedded itself in the surrounding tissues of the lung tissue, making its removal extremely challenging.   A rigid bronchoscopy conducted further confirmed the severity of the obstruction. Left with no other option, the doctors decided to opt for a mini thoracotomy — a delicate surgery involving a 4-centimeter incision in the chest.   “This was one of the rarest cases we’ve encountered. The bulb was lodged in such a way that conventional methods could not retrieve it. Through careful planning and teamwork, we managed to safely remove the object by a mini thoracotomy and restored Aarav’s lung function,” explained Dr. Rajput.   Emphasising how such cases are ignored, Dr. Prabhat pointed out that chronic cough or breathing issues are often dismissed as common pneumonia or even asthma.   “However, such persistent symptoms must always be investigated thoroughly, especially through early detection and imaging which can make all the difference to the patient,” she averred.   JHRC CMO Dr. Milind Khadke said, “The foreign body aspiration in kids is far more common that parents may realise but quick intervention is critical to prevent long-term medical complications.”

Mosques, madrassas open for displaced border residents

  • PTI
  • May 8
  • 3 min read
Locals from different areas along the India-Pakistan border being brought to a temporary camp at Mishriwala area in Jammu district on Thursday. Pic: PTI
Locals from different areas along the India-Pakistan border being brought to a temporary camp at Mishriwala area in Jammu district on Thursday. Pic: PTI

Jammu: The doors of all mosques and madrassas in the Jammu region are open for the displaced border residents, prominent Muslim scholar Mufti Sageer Ahmad said on Thursday, as he joined dozens of youngsters to donate blood for the victims of Pakistani shelling here.


The blood donation camp was organised by the Madrassa Markaz-ul-Maarif at Bathindi, near here, following an appeal by social activists after intense Pakistani shelling in Poonch district on Wednesday left 13 people dead and 44 injured.


"We have set up this camp in view of the tense situation on the borders so that there is no shortage of blood in our hospitals.... Islam teaches us that saving one life is like saving the entire humanity," Ahmad, who is also the head of the institute, said.


He said the country and its people need them at this crucial juncture and they have come forward to donate blood for those injured on the borders.

"We have kept our madrassas (Islamic seminaries) and masjids ready for the border residents if they are to be relocated. It is the teachings of Islam and we are adhering to it. If we can save a human life, we are saving the humanity," Ahmad said.


Blood donation

He said both teachers and students are voluntarily donating blood and more than 50 units have so far been collected which will be deposited in the blood bank of the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital in Jammu.


"We are ready to extend our support to people irrespective of their religion. We are there to cooperate with anyone, whether it is someone from the administration or from the public," he said.


Many mosques and madrassas across the Jammu region are affiliated with the Markaz.


Volunteers and political activists organised blood-donation camps at different places over the past two days, while the Jammu High Court Bar Association is also planning to hold such an event in the district court complex here on Friday.


"In this current time of conflict, understanding its responsibility towards humanity, the association is organising a blood-donation camp to meet the shortage of blood in the blood banks at Jammu," the lawyers' body said, requesting members to come forward and voluntarily donate blood.


Meanwhile, the Jamia Zia-ul-Islam, an educational institute, is providing accommodation to about 50 people, mostly border residents who were evacuated amid intense cross-border shelling the previous day.


"The Jamia Zia-ul-Islam stands by the people of the country in this difficult situation. If any person living on the border needs any help, the institution is there to help," its spokesperson said.


Maulana Iqbal not terrorist: Police

Jammu: Maulana Iqbal was not a terrorist but a respected religious figure who lost his life along with 12 others in heavy Pakistani shelling in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, police said on Thursday.


The Jammu and Kashmir Police came out with a clarification on the 45-year-old Iqbal after certain media outlets and social media platforms circulated "baseless and misleading" reports, claiming that he was a top terrorist and was killed in a missile strike by Indian armed forces across the border.


"Any media outlet, journalist, or individual found indulging in the circulation of such fake news shall be liable for legal action as warranted under relevant provisions of law," police said in a statement.


Iqbal, a resident of Baila village in Mandi tehsil, was killed when a mortar shell hit his Madrasa Zia-ul-Uloom in Poonch city on Wednesday. A gurdwara and a temple were also hit by the indiscriminate Pakistani shelling in the district, claiming 13 lives, including that of a soldier, four children and two women.

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