Doctors remove 11cm fish stuck in 11-month-old boy's throat in Karnataka

An 11-month-old toddler, who accidentally swallowed a fish kept for cooking at home, was saved by a team of paediatricians at a private hospital in Shivamogga.

Pratheek, son of the couple Yogesh and Roja, from Ganjenahalli in Honnali taluk of Davanagere district, ingested a fish kept in the kitchen for cleaning. Roja noticed the incident and attempted in vain to pull the fish from her baby's throat.

The couple rushed the child to Sarji hospital in Shivamogga. A team of paediatric surgeons quickly swung into action and carefully took out the fish that was 11.3cm long and was blocking the child's windpipe. Subsequently, the baby received oxygen and underwent treatment in the ICU for any potential organ damage, overseen by paediatric surgeon Dr Pradeep HS.

Another surgeon and intensivist, Dr Vinod, explained that they removed the fish using an indirect laryngoscopy (IDL) procedure that took an hour. "The baby sustained internal injuries but is out of danger and is in stable condition," the doctor explained.

Doctors asked parents to be careful with small objects around children. "It is common for kids to swallow foreign objects like peanuts, marbles or small toys, jeopardising their lives. However, this is the first time we had to operate on such a case. We are happy that the kid is doing fine," said Dr Vinod.