Vadodara doctors stunned as 1-year-old’s ‘pneumonia’ turns out to be a LED bulb lodged in lung
The LED bulb had been lodged inside the 1-year-old boy’s airway, completely blocking the right lung, which was ‘on the verge of collapse’, doctors said.
The chest X‑ray of a one‑year‑old boy stunned doctors at a Vadodara hospital in Gujarat this week, revealing an unexpected finding—an LED bulb lodged inside the airway.
The parents of the toddler had brought their child to the paediatric department of Gujarat Medical Education Research Society’s (GMERS) Gotri hospital from Malsar village in Anand district following complaints of cold, cough, and fever that had been unresolved for close to two months. He was also treated for pneumonia.
After he was referred to the ENT department, an X-ray of his chest revealed a foreign body lodged in his right bronchus—the airway that leads from the windpipe to the lung. When the ENT doctors took a close look, they were surprised to see a 1cm broad LED bulb lodged inside the airway, completely blocking the right lung, which was “on the verge of collapse”.
What followed was an immediate surgery to remove the foreign body via bronchoscopy—a procedure performed using a bronchoscope that is moved down the throat and windpipe into the airways to remove the ‘foreign’ object by using grasping forceps.
“The child was suffering from complaints of continuous fever, cough and cold since the last one and a half months. For treatment, the parents of the child had consulted many private hospitals, where he was also treated for pneumonia. Despite receiving initial medical care, the symptoms did not improve significantly. Considering the persistent symptoms and clinical condition, the patient’s family decided to bring him for further treatment at GMERS Gotri in Vadodara,” Dr Hiren Soni, Head of Department of ENT, GMERS, Vadodara, told The Indian Express.
The child arrived at the hospital on February 4 and underwent a detailed imaging and examination.
“By God’s grace, the patient did not have difficulty in breathing as only the right lung was impacted. After assessment, a bronchoscopy was planned and performed under general anaesthesia on February 5… Since the object had remained inside the body for over a month, it had significantly got lodged in the tissues but we were able to see one pin of the bulb. The challenge was also to remove the object in less than a minute of inserting the scopes, without damaging the windpipe. During this time, the anaesthetist stabilised the child to keep the oxygen flowing,” Dr Soni explained.
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Advanced instruments ensured that the removal was successful. Following the procedure, the child was kept under observation in the ICU for monitoring. “Gradually, the air entry in the lower side of right lung improved, and the child’s condition stabilised. Necessary medications and supportive care were continued. After recovery, the child showed significant clinical improvement, and reduction of the symptoms,” Dr Soni added.
The doctor cautioned against young children swallowing foreign objects when left without supervision, also reinforcing the need for timely diagnosis to avoid long-term or serious complications arising from undetected foreign objects.
“Due to timely diagnosis, bronchoscopic intervention, and ICU care, the child’s life was saved and the condition improved successfully under the supervision of the treating doctors… It was a rare case of a child having aspirated an LED bulb,” he added.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
