Operation to Remove Foreign Body from the Esophagus of a 14-Year-Old Boy in Lviv
Surgeons of the Lviv Regional Council’s municipal non-commercial enterprise ‘Clinical Center of Children’s Medicine. Okhmatdyt Hospital’ operated on a 14-year-old boy for a foreign body (a piece of skewer meat) in his esophagus. The patient had difficulty breathing, swallowing disorders, and active saliva production.
‘The esophagus has natural constrictions: at the neck level, near the aorta, and at the entrance to the stomach. In this boy, the piece of meat stopped at the second constriction, so he could not swallow saliva and breathe normally.’
The patient was urgently transported to the operating room where a team of specialists performed a rigid esophagoscopy. The intervention lasted almost an hour, with the large piece of meat being removed in stages to avoid damaging the esophageal walls,’ explained the thoracic surgeon of the Center, Oleksandr Kolodiy.
Successful Completion of the Operation
The operation was successful. After careful observation in the hospital, the boy was discharged in satisfactory condition. He will be monitored by specialists in the future.
Frequent Cases of Swallowing Foreign Objects
According to doctors, such cases happen quite often. Most often, patients swallow pieces of meat, while younger children swallow small toys, batteries, coins, or construction set parts.