A heartbreaking incident occurred when a 7-year-old boy from Vietnam accidentally swallowed the cap of a ballpoint pen while in class. The cap went into his airway, which caused severe complications, including brain damage.
After swallowing the pen cap, the boy started to show symptoms like coughing, struggling to breathe, and chest pain. His teacher acted quickly, rushing him to the school’s medical room for first aid, and then took him to a local medical center.
But on the way, the child’s condition worsened rapidly. He stopped breathing, and emergency doctors had to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during the trip to the provincial hospital.
Even after reaching the hospital, the boy’s situation remained critical, and he had several seizures due to a lack of oxygen to his brain.
Doctor Nguyen Tan Hung, the Deputy Head of the Department of Emergency and Anti-Poison at the National Children’s Hospital, shared how serious the situation was. He said, “The child was admitted to the hospital in a very critical condition.
He was given a balloon through the endotracheal tube, and is being continuously maintained with cardiac support drugs to ensure heart rate and blood pressure, deep coma, and continuous convulsions.”
At the hospital, the medical team worked tirelessly to save him. They used mechanical ventilation, circulatory volume replacement, and medications to support his heart function. They also treated his brain swelling and sedated him to manage his pain.
But despite these efforts, the doctors had to act fast to remove the object that caused the blockage in his airway. Master, Doctor Vu Tung Lam from the Respiratory Center at the National Children’s Hospital explained, “The foreign body removed was a black ballpoint pen tip, about 0.5 x 0.8 cm in size, covering 70% of the right main bronchus.
The child’s airway mucosa on both sides was edematous, with a lot of mucus in the bronchi.”
The doctors worked around the clock to save the young boy, performing emergency endoscopy at his bedside to remove the pen cap. Unfortunately, after days of intense treatment, the child’s brain damage, caused by the prolonged lack of oxygen, was too severe. Despite the doctors’ best efforts, the child passed away after four days of treatment.
The story is truly tragic and serves as a painful reminder of how quickly accidents can happen, and how crucial it is to act quickly in emergencies. What do you think of this story? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
