Doctors at the Institute of Child Health, Egmore (ICH) were finally able to remove a sewing machine needle from the little boy’s lung. Siva, the three-year-old from Tirunelveli swallowed the needle while playing near his aunt’s sewing machine.

Siva told to his mother about swallowing the sharp object. He was rushed to hospital in Nagercoil. X-ray revealed that the needle had passed though his trachea and penetrated his right lung. He was than sent to ICH with severe breathing difficulties. Initially ENT specialist tried to remove the needle through an endoscopic procedure, however the results were not positive. Doctors had to finally perform surgery as the needle had slipped tight into the bronchiole.

Dr. Senthilnathan said that luckily for Siva, the needle had gone in blunt side first so his respiratory passage had no injuries. If it had gone in the sharp side first, he would have been coughing blood. X-rays showed that the needle had penetrated the back of the lung. Doctors opened the side of Siva’s chest removed the needle in a two hour procedure that took place on October 24. The boy is recovering now.