Doctors Remove Staple Pins From Six-Month-Old's Esophagus After Weeks of Breathing Trouble

A six-month-old infant was admitted to Assuta Ashdod Public Hospital after suffering from persistent cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, and vomiting for about six weeks. Despite multiple medical visits and treatments including inhalations and medications, the baby's condition did not improve. Upon arrival at the emergency room, an X-ray revealed a foreign object in the esophagus: a bundle of staple pins, some embedded in the esophageal wall.

Due to the pins' location and the infant's respiratory distress, the medical team urgently transferred the baby to surgery. A multidisciplinary team including pediatric gastroenterology, ENT, pulmonology, and anesthesia specialists conducted a complex procedure lasting about 90 minutes to carefully remove the pins one by one, including those lodged in the esophageal tissue. The prolonged presence of the pins had caused local damage, swelling, inflammation, and infection.

Post-surgery, the infant received antibiotics, acid-reducing medication, steroids, and inhalations, and was initially fed via a feeding tube to allow the esophagus to heal. Dr. Hani Oliveston, head of the pediatric gastroenterology unit at Assuta Ashdod, emphasized the importance of investigating persistent symptoms in infants who cannot communicate, noting that foreign bodies can cause ongoing respiratory issues. She urged parents to seek further medical evaluation if symptoms do not improve as expected.