Doctors in Dubai have saved an 18-month-old child's life after removing a large pin that was lodged for weeks in a critical airway.
A team at Zulekha Hospital found the rusty 3.5cm pin in Dewan Ahmad's left main bronchus, a vital airway to the lung, following a chest X-ray.
The doctors removed the pin with a 30-minute operation called a bronchoscopy.
It could have been catastrophic
Dr Khaldoon Dakka,
specialist thoracic surgeon, Zulekha Hospital, Dubai
“It was a life-threatening situation,” specialist thoracic surgeon Dr Khaldoon Dakka told The National.
“For a baby, his trachea is only maybe 4cm and this pin took up most of the space so he could not breathe.
“The constant irritation when the tip touched the airway caused him to cough. It could have been catastrophic.
“If the pin had gone undetected longer it could have pierced through the wall, damaged the lung, heart and blood vessels.”
The child swallowed the pin about two weeks before being taken to hospital on December 30.
Doctors said he had a lucky escape as the rounded head was embedded in the airway, not the pointed tip.
“Fortunately for this child, it was not the tip of the pin that was stuck as that would have pierced further, kept moving and gone deeper,” Dr Dakka said.
“We really don’t know how he was able to swallow such a long pin.”
Worsening condition
Dewan’s family initially gave him medication for an infection due to a persistent cough.
It was when the coughing worsened, he could not sleep, began vomiting and could not breathe that the child was taken to hospital.
A CT scan showed the exact position of the pin, which was removed under general anaesthesia.
Dewan was also diagnosed with pneumonia because of an infection from the rusty object. He was discharged earlier this month.
Farheen Ahmad, Dewan’s mother, thanked the doctors and nurses for saving her child’s life.
“I don’t know what would happen if this was not found in time,” she said.
“My child was saved by the prompt diagnosis of the problem and the emergency procedure to remove the pin.”
Cautionary tale
Dr Suni Akbar, the specialist paediatrician who recommended the chest X-ray, urged parents to keep small objects out of reach of children.
“Children must never be given coins or toys with magnets that can be removed easily,” he said.
“These foreign objects can cause a child to choke and can even lead to death.”
Dr Akbar said parents should watch babies carefully as they put anything in their mouths.
“Take care not to drop things on the floor, avoid giving them nuts and hard candies and ensure grapes are always cut into small pieces,” he said.
Dewan was among the youngest to be operated on by doctors at the hospital for ingesting such an object.
Dr Dakka said children as old as 11 have been admitted for swallowing needles.
“Whatever you can think of we have removed from children,” he said.
“We manage many such cases but this was one of the most serious because he is a baby and there could have been much greater harm.”
Dr Dakka has previously removed peanuts, elastic bands, aluminium tin lids, parts of pencils and magnets.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
