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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.”

Passing On The Baton

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For this first time since 1995, Katol will see a new face seeking votes from the people. Days after Anil Deshmukh, who has represented the constituency since 1995, was named by the NCP (SP) as its candidate from this Vidarbha seat, the party replaced his nomination with that of his son, Salil. The reasons are best known to the Deshmukh family and the party. Insiders claim that the son’s insistence and desire to make his electoral debut forced Deshmukh to convince his party. But the former home minister claimed that the Mahayuti was finding technical reasons to disqualify his nomination Salil Deshmukh, son of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, is contesting the polls from the constituency that his father has represented for the past three decades. The father-son duo has been campaigning hard in the sweltering October heat. The stakes are high for the family; in 2021, the senior Deshmukh was arrested on charges of corruption and jailed for 13 months. He had to resign earlier following allegations of misusing his position for money laundering.


Deshmukh began his political career in Nagpur as chairman of the Nagpur Zilla Parishad as a Congressman. In 1995, he rebelled against Congress party leadership after he was denied a ticket and contested as an Independent candidate and won. That year, he lent support to the Shiv Sena-BJP government and was made the minister of state for education. When Sharad Pawar launched the NCP in 1999, Deshmukh joined him and held various positions in the government such as the minister for school education, information, sports, public works, excise and civil supplies, among other key departments. In 2014, he lost the legislative assembly elections to his nephew Ashish Deshmukh. Five years later, he returned to the council of ministers when the MVA formed the government and was given charge of the all-important home ministry.


His career saw reforms in education and the setting up of the Maharashtra Bhushan Award but was marred by serious charges of corruption in 2021 when he was forced to resign. Deshmukh stayed with the NCP (SP) during the split in the party affirmed his loyalty to the party. His nomination from Katol in the NCP (SP)’s first list was seen as an affirmation of his party’s faith in him.

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