9-Month-Old Baby Undergoes Rare Throat Surgery To Remove Bicycle Bearing

A rare surgery was performed in India to remove a bicycle bearing from a 9-month-old baby's throat. The child suffered from breathing complications after accidentally swallowing the object.

The incident took place in a village near Kurnool, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Local media reports said the child was rushed to a hospital after the family found the baby was facing breathing difficulties. At the hospital, doctors did an X-ray and found that a metal object was stuck in the child's throat.

“Immediately, we made some space in the esophagus using emergency endoscopy equipment and then carefully removed the foreign object (bicycle bearing) with Maggle Forceps," Consultant gastroenterologist Dr. L. Rajendra Prasad of Kurnool Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) told the Sisat Daily.

“It was very dangerous after the bearing got stuck in the nine-month-old baby’s throat. We could save the life of the baby as the parents brought her on time."

Following the surgery, the child was said to be in a stable condition and breathing normally.

The doctor, who performed the surgery, issued a warning to all parents to be careful when children play with metal objects, coins, magnets and needles.

“Parents have to be very careful and keep them out of children’s reach. As the KIMS Kurnool hospital has the facility to do an endoscopy to even infants, we could save the baby’s life,” Dr. Prasad said.

In October, an 8-month-old baby girl in Israel had a "complex" surgery to remove a large metal object that was lodged in her trachea.

The girl had suffered from stridor breathing episodes and was rushed to Assuta Ashdod Hospital for treatment. The child was prescribed steroids, but her health condition worsened after stopping the drugs. The family rushed her to the emergency room again. She underwent a chest X-ray, which showed that she had a large metal object lodged in her trachea. It remains unclear as to how the object got stuck in the child's throat.

Doctors said the surgery was "complex and lengthy" and they were successful in removing the object. Following the surgery, the child was put on life support for three days before she woke up.