CHENNAI: Doctors at the Government Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Egmore, saved the life of a one-and-a-half year old girl who swallowed six iron tablets prescribed for her pregnant mother. The child was brought to the hospital from JIPMER in a serious condition, say doctors.
The child from a village in Kallakurichi had consumed six iron tablets accidently on January 2. The parents panicked and rushed the child to a private hospital in the village, then from there the girl was referred to Kallakurichi GH where the doctors carried out stomach wash and referred the patient to Villupuram Medical College Hospital, the treating doctors said.
Doctors further said that from there the patient was taken to JIPMER and then from there was brought to the Government Institute of Child Health, Egmore, in a serious condition. “When the child came to the hospital, her blood pressure was low, iron content in the blood was high and also had salt imbalance. Then the patient was shifted to ICU, where we gave her iron antidote drug.
After 36 hours, the iron level in blood reduced,” said Dr G Kumaravel, Assistant Professor, ICU, Institute of Child Health. Dr S Ezhilarasi, Director, Institute of Child Health said, iron poisoning can be fatal with high level of toxicity in the blood. The patients can experience internal bleeding, and also other organs would get affected. But luckily, the child didn’t reach that stage.
Dr Kumaravel said it can cause gastric problems and also lead to liver and kidney failures. The child reached the hospital on January 3. Kumaravel further said that many hospitals don’t stock deferoxamine, an iron antidote drug, as it is used rarely. The drug is usually given to patients with blood cancer during iron deposit in the body after blood transfusion. “The patient is shifted from ICU to general ward on Thursday,” the Director said.