Baby's Coughing Fit Reveals Swallowed Pebble Lodged in Lung

A 10-month-old infant who had been suffering from a week of coughing and shortness of breath was found to have swallowed a pebble that became lodged in her lung. The baby, identified only as "Seni" (a pseudonym), had a complex medical history including prior chest surgery, which complicated initial diagnoses. Doctors at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem initially struggled to pinpoint the cause, as her symptoms resembled those from her previous surgery.

Despite the low initial suspicion of a swallowed foreign object, doctors opted for a bronchoscopy, an invasive procedure that allows direct visualization of the airways. During the procedure, they discovered a small pebble lodged in the infant's bronchus, situated precariously between two blood vessels. "It was in a very sensitive spot," stated Dr. Leon Joseph, a senior physician in the pediatric pulmonology institute at Shaare Zedek. "The stone was right between two blood vessels, and if it had remained there for a long time, it could have penetrated the blood vessels and caused bleeding. It could also have caused recurrent pneumonia and irreversible lung damage."

The removal of the pebble required specialized equipment for the infant's tiny airways and collaboration between multiple medical teams, including pediatric pulmonology, pediatric ENT, and anesthesia. A tiny basket was used to carefully extract the stone. Professor Pierre Attal, director of pediatric ENT at Shaare Zedek, noted that this minimally invasive technique avoided a more traumatic rigid bronchoscopy, which could have complicated the baby's treatment.

Following the successful removal, the baby's condition improved almost immediately, with the coughing ceasing within hours. She was discharged home the same day. Doctors emphasized the case as a crucial reminder that foreign object aspiration can occur at any age, even in very young infants, and urged parents to maintain constant supervision and remove small objects like LEGO pieces or nuts from the floor. They also advised cutting grapes and cherry tomatoes lengthwise and crosswise for young children.

Professor Attal added that such cases are rare, especially given the infant's young age and complex medical background. He highlighted the importance of rapid diagnosis and collaboration in achieving a positive outcome and stressed the need to educate all family members about the risks associated with small objects and certain foods around babies.