Yesterday, (Sunday) the parents of a nine-month-old baby arrived at the emergency medicine center at Assuta Ashdod Public Hospital and reported that they suspected that their son had swallowed a bone.
Upon their arrival, they were treated by Dr. Hagar Gur-Soferman, head of the Pediatric Emergency Room. Despite his excellent condition during the examination, the baby was immediately sent for an X-ray in which an open safety pin was observed at the entrance to the esophagus. The baby was quickly sent to the operating room where he was operated on by Dr. Schwartz and Dr. Jordan from the Otolaryngology department under full anesthesia performed by Dr. Micha Shamir. The operation was successful and the baby's condition is now defined as good.
Dr. Gur said following the operation: "In the afternoon, a nine-month-old baby was brought to the emergency room whose father suspected that he had put something in his mouth because he saw uncomfortable movements around the mouth. Upon examination, a foreign body was felt and even slight bleeding was observed. He was brought to us in excellent condition, but in light of the suspicious story, a photo was taken, which to everyone's surprise showed an open safety pin located in the upper esophagus."
"This is a dangerous situation in which a hole may be created by the pin in the esophagus, causing injury and leakage of acid into the chest, threatening the baby's life. In the operating room under full anesthesia, the pin was removed safely. Fortunately, the incident ended well, but we will emphasize again the importance of creating a safe environment and strict supervision of toddlers in general and during the holidays In particular," she added.
The parents of the baby said: "Yesterday in the morning we were concerned that our little son was holding something in his hand and was quickly putting it in his mouth. We suspected that the foreign object had been swallowed and we opened our son's mouth but we did not see anything. Then he began to suffocate and we decided not to wait and very quickly called the Magen David Adom who took him to Assuta Hospital. We were sent for a chest x-ray, and there they saw that he had indeed swallowed a foreign object in the form of a safety pin. The doctors acted very quickly and immediately put him in the operating room. If in doubt, immediately seek medical treatment."