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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.”

Sapkal-Sharad Pawar meet sparks speculations

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Mumbai: As the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is beset by speculation of emerging political permutations and combinations, Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal called on ally and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar today.


The meeting came amid talks of possible merger of the Nationalist Congress Party led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar with NCP (SP), and Shiv Sena (UBT) led by ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray cosying up to cousin Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).


However, an unfazed Sapkal later told media that he merely paid a courtesy visit to Sharad Pawar whom he had not met since taking over as the state Congress chief in February.


“Pawar is a senior leader with over 50 years’ experience in political and social fields. It was a courtesy call only,” Sapkal said without elaborating.


He took the opportunity to slam the ruling MahaYuti for ignoring the state’s farmers who are being hit by one crisis after another, the latest being the unseasonal rains in May.


“The natural disaster has struck farmers causing huge losses, but the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government is asleep. The administration should immediately conduct a loss assessment (panchamas) and rush aid to the farmers on priority,” demanded Sapkal.


He said that the government has already meted out injustice by closing the Re.1 crop insurance scheme which provided some relief, but the new insurance scheme based on crop harvesting is going against the farmers’ interests.


“Scams are already coming to light in the new scheme, but the government lacks courage to book the culprits. They should promptly rectify the flaws instead of scrapping the scheme, or bring back the old Re.1 scheme,” said Sapkal.


On the ensuing Kharif season, the Congress chief claimed that the MahaYuti seems totally unprepared for it, the farmers are being cheated by sale of fake seeds and the government must ensure the supply of both seeds and fertilizers.


Sapkal said the state Congress will hold Tiranga Yatra across Maharashtra on May 21 – the 34th anniversary of assassination of former PM Rajiv Gandhi – to salute the glory of the Indian soldiers in the recent Operation Sindoor.


“Indian soldiers performed bravely in Operation Sindoor. To salute their courage and express solidarity with all other martyrs—from Mahatma Gandhi to those killed in the April 22 Pahalgam attacks, Congress will take out Tiranga Yatras in all districts that day,” said Sapkal.


Leaders shrug talks of reunion

By Correspondent

Mumbai: As the speculation of potential merger of the two factions of the NCP took the momentum, the leaders of both the parties on Wednesday shrugged the talks of reunion.


NCP (SP) boss Sharad Pawar first sparked the buzz by acknowledging internal differences in his party on the question of joining hands with Ajit Pawar. Both the leaders shared the dais for three different occasions. Against this backdrop the air was cleared from both the sides.


Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar on Tuesday late night informed his party legislators that no discussion has been held between him and senior leaders of the NCP led by Sharad Pawar about a merger.


Addressing party legislators at the weekly party meeting held at his official residence, Devgiri, Ajit Pawar said that there should be no confusion in the minds of NCP leaders about news reports on a possible merger between the two parties. “There is no discussion on this issue of merger on the level of party leadership from both the sides. No senior leader from our side and no leader from there (NCP-SP) have spoken to each other. These are the speculations and nothing else,” a senior leader who attended this meeting said on a condition of anonymity.


The leader further said that while clarifying the issue, Ajit Pawar specifically mentioned that he was addressing the issue in the meeting as the leaders of his party should be aware of the reality. On the other hand, senior NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh rejected speculation about a potential merger between the factions led by Sharad Pawar and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, stressing that no such discussion was held in the NCP (SP) camp. Speculation about the NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and NCP (SP) led by his uncle Sharad Pawar gained traction days after the latter reportedly said it was up to NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule and Ajit to decide about the reunion.


“The speculation about the potential merger is just a media discussion. No meeting or discussion has been held in the NCP (SP) camp," Deshmukh said.

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