top of page

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.”

SC warns contempt action if NCR states fail to implement complete curb on crackers

  • PTI
  • May 6
  • 3 min read

ree

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana to ensure a "scrupulous" ban on firecrackers in areas falling under the NCR region and warned any failure would attract contempt.


A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan asked the governments to issue a direction under the Environment Protection Act (EPA) imposing a complete ban on manufacture, sale and storage, including online delivery, on all types of firecrackers in the areas which fall under the NCR region.


Not only the orders of this court but directions issued under Section 5 of the EPA must be strictly implemented through all the law enforcement machinery of the states, it added.


Section 5 of the Act states the Central Government may, in exercise of its powers, issue directions to any officer or any authority to regulate environmental pollution.


The top court said the state governments should ensure "scrupulous implementation" of the ban on firecrackers and create a machinery for effectively implementing the prohibition.


"We also make it clear that in case of any failure on the part of the officials of these governments and other entities to implement the directions issued by the court, action under Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 may be taken. All states forming part of NCR to file comprehensive compliance affidavit. We also direct the state governments to give wide publicity to the ban and the penalty imposed under Section 5 of the Environment Protection Act," it said.


The Supreme Court on April 3 refused to relax the ban imposed on the manufacture, storage and sale on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR noting that air pollution levels remained alarming for a considerable time.


A large section of the population worked on streets and was the worst affected by pollution, it said, and not everybody can afford an air purifier in their home or place of work to fight pollution.


Unless the court was satisfied that the pollution due to the "so-called" green crackers was bare minimum, there was no question of reconsidering the previous orders, it added.


The bench further said restricting the ban on firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR region just around Diwali would be meaningless, as it could be purchased and stored in advance.


The top court in December, 2024, directed the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments to impose a complete ban on firecrackers until further orders.


The court then noted the Delhi government enforced a complete ban on the manufacture, storage and sale, including delivery of firecrackers through online marketing round the year with immediate effect.


The bench underlined the efficacy of the ban only "when other states forming part of the NCR region" imposed such measures.


"Even the state of Rajasthan has imposed a similar ban in that part of State of Rajasthan which falls in NCR regions. For the time being we direct the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to impose a similar ban which is imposed by the state of Delhi," it said.


The concern over high pollution levels in Delhi during Diwali prompted the apex court to make observations against violation of its orders, pointing out they were "hardly implemented".


The apex court was hearing a plea filed by M C Mehta in 1985 seeking directions to curb air pollution in the national capital and adjoining areas.

Comments

bottom of page