KOCHI: It is a second chance at life for two-year-old Priyanshi who had developed a hole between her food and wind pipes after swallowing a button battery. While the battery was removed, the damage was severe when she was admitted to Aster Medcity in Kochi.
Around 10 months after a complex but successful surgery, Priyanshi has recovered from the condition. The toddler, daughter of migrant workers Rajendra and Pushpalatha Panda from Odisha and currently residing at Perumbavoor, accidentally swallowed a button battery.
Chemical damage set in as it burned a hole between her food pipe and windpipe, turning every sip of water into a choking hazard and leaving her at constant risk of fatal lung infections.
Under the leadership of Dr Shawn T Joseph, senior consultant and programme director of the Head & Neck Oncology Network, Aster Medcity, a multidisciplinary team of specialists collaborated on a high-stakes overnight surgery.
“This case was a race against time in one of the most anatomically challenging areas of the human body” Dr Shawn said.