Earlier, the boy had been coughing and wheezing for nearly 20 days, with his family giving him medication at home without relief.
After initial treatment at a hospital in Cambodia, his condition worsened, and he was taken to a local hospital in the southern province of An Giang, Vietnam, where he was intubated and put on mechanical ventilation for two days. As there was no improvement despite the use of antibiotics and vasopressors, he was transferred to HCM City Children’s Hospital.
The object blocking the boy's right main bronchus removed (Photo by HCM City Children’s Hospital)
On admission, the boy was on mechanical ventilation with cyanosis, oxygen saturation of 85-92 per cent, and subcutaneous emphysema in the chest and neck.
Tests showed left lung collapse with complete obstruction of the left main bronchus, likely due to a foreign body or mucus plug, and pneumothorax in parts of the lung.
Doctors quickly performed a bronchoscopy and discovered a hard, dark brown object blocking the right main bronchus, which moved with each breath. They successfully removed it, identifying the foreign body as an intact custard apple seed.
The child has continued treatment for pneumonia in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
