An ambulance brought a 3‑year‑9‑month‑old girl from the town of Sheptytskyi in Lviv region to the Lviv Ohmatdyt Hospital. At the local hospital, an X‑ray showed a long, sharp construction screw in the child’s bronchi and, understanding the risks, the doctors referred the patient to the Children’s Medical Centre, where thoracic surgeons specialise in treating the airways.
The girl arrived at the clinic in a moderately serious condition, with a pronounced cough, shortness of breath and marked agitation. The doctors stress that there was no time to hesitate, so the child was immediately taken to the operating theatre.
“It was a screw, and it was quite sharp and long for a child of that age. The main danger was that it could injure the bronchial wall, cause a perforation or severe bleeding. So we had to act as quickly as possible. The longer a foreign body stays in the bronchi, the more the mucosa swells and the more the inflammatory process intensifies,” said Oleksandr Kolodii, thoracic surgeon at the Children’s Medical Centre
According to the mother, the child had pulled the screw out of the skirting board at home. When the adults were briefly distracted, the girl found this sharp object, after which it ended up in her airways.
The operation was carried out by a multidisciplinary team: thoracic surgeon Oleksandr Kolodii, anaesthetist Yana Hrechukh and surgical intern Sofiia Furdas. Thanks to their experience and coordinated work, the foreign body was carefully removed without complications.
After timely care and a successful intervention, the child was discharged home the very next day in a satisfactory condition.
Specialists at the Children’s Medical Centre warn parents to keep a close eye on small, sharp and construction items in the home if there are young children around. If a child develops a sudden cough, shortness of breath or marked agitation, you must seek medical help immediately.