The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR, FEB 9, 2024
In a groundbreaking feat of medical expertise, the Pediatrics Department at AIIMS Bhubaneswar has achieved a significant milestone by successfully saving the life of a 9-year-old boy. This achievement came through a pioneering bronchoscopic intervention to extract a stitching needle lodged in the boy’s lungs. Notably, this marks the first instance of such a sharp foreign body removal without resorting to open surgery in any pediatric center in Odisha.
The young patient, hailing from West Bengal, was admitted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar after aspirating a stitching needle approximately 4 CM in length into the left lower lobe bronchus lateral segment of his lungs. Under the skilled hands of a team of expert pediatricians, including Dr. Rashmi Ranjan Das, Dr. Krishna M Gulla, Dr. Ketan, and Dr. Ramakrishna, the bronchoscopic interventions were performed with precision, successfully extracting the needle without encountering any complications.
Executive Director Dr. Ashutosh Biswas extends his heartfelt congratulations to the dedicated team of doctors, lauding their life-saving procedure and urging them to maintain such excellence in future interventions. This meticulous procedure, which lasted approximately 1 hour, spared the young patient from undergoing a major life-threatening surgery (thoracotomy). Dr. Rashmi Ranjan Das emphasizes the potential risks associated with such surgery, which could have compromised the boy’s health, possibly necessitating the removal of a portion of his lungs.
Following the procedure, the patient was kept under observation for four days and is now in stable condition, well on the path to recovery. This innovative bronchoscopic procedure, available at AIIMS Bhubaneswar and only a select few centers across India, utilizes less invasive flexible bronchoscopy for the removal of sharp airway foreign bodies.
Dr. Krishna M Gulla highlights AIIMS Bhubaneswar’s specialized Pediatric Pulmonology and ICU team, adept at performing bronchoscopic interventions from neonatal age to 15 years, offering comprehensive care under one roof—a service unparalleled in Odisha’s private sector.
Equipped with a pediatric bronchoscopic facility since 2021, the Pediatrics Department at AIIMS Bhubaneswar continues to serve as an indispensable resource for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. This facility has played a pivotal role in emergency foreign body removals, introducing a novel approach to addressing challenging pediatric cases related to respiratory diseases.
These success stories are a testament to the collaborative efforts of specialists from Pediatrics, Pediatric Surgery, ENT, and Radiology, underscoring AIIMS Bhubaneswar’s unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional care for children facing respiratory problems.
