TIRUPATTUR: Doctors at the Tirupattur Government Hospital successfully removed a Rs 5 coin from the food pipe of a seven-year-old girl, Kanishree, on Sunday. The child is learnt to have swallowed the coin, which was given to her by a relative, on Friday.
Her parents, Siva and Lalitha, initially took Kanishree to a local hospital. As the case required specialised care, she was referred to the Tirupattur Government Hospital on Sunday. However, ENT specialist Dr M Deepanand, who usually handles such procedures, was on his weekly off.
As the anaesthetist, who often removes foreign objects, could not manage the case alone, the hospital contacted Dr. Deepanand, a 39-year-old doctor, who has been associated with the hospital for around four years. As Deepanand was in the vicinity, he rushed to the hospital immediately, recognising the urgency of the situation.
In about half an hour, Dr Deepanand, along with anaesthetist Dr Sudha and Dr Velmurugan successfully carried out the procedure and removed the coin.
Dr KT Sivakumar, Chief Medical Officer of the hospital, told TNIE that Dr. Deepanand’s response and commitment, despite being off duty, was commendable.
Speaking to TNIE, Dr. Deepanand said, “As I was nearby, and it was an emergency I came quickly and attended to it.” He added that removing foreign objects from the food pipe is a fairly common procedure at the hospital.
“Usually, these objects enter the food pipe or esophagus. It becomes critical if they go into the windpipe,” he explained.
The hospital has handled seven such cases in recent years — two involving swallowed coins, one a watch battery, two chicken bones, and one a large chunk of mutton.