Times of India
10 February 2011
By Vishakha.Sharma

Attempt to feed mutton to one–and–a–half year–old nearly suffocates him, after a piece blocks his windpipe. Infant saved after emergency treatment
Tasting mutton proved to be a nightmare for one–and–a–half year–old boy and his family after a piece found its way into his windpipe and got stuck there, leading to a life–threatening situation. Fortunately, for the Satara family and the kid – Aditya Shere – he received emergency medical care and was discharged on Wednesday after a weeklong treatment in Hausai Paediatric Surgery Centre in Satara.

The ordeal began on February 2 when Aditya’s mother tried to feed him mutton when he was already suffering from cold and cough. The meat entered Aditya’s trachea instead of passing through the oesophagus, as he coughed while he was chewing a piece of mutton. Aditya couldn’t breathe as the meat, of size 2 X 1 cm, after entering the trachea reached the left main bronchus and got stuck there, thereby blocking his breath.

Clueless about the reason of his breathlessness, Aditya’s parents rushed him to the hospital where he was treated by Dr Sanjay Raut, a paediatric surgeon.

Speaking to Pune Mirror, Dr Raut said, "As the kid had cough, while taking a deep breath the mutton piece entered his bronchus and obstructed his whole left lung. Hence, he was under severe respiratory distress and his oxygen saturation had gone down to 50%. This could have proved lifethreatening."

According to Dr Raut, the oxygen saturation ideally has to be 100%, failing which a person can develop neurological problems such as inability to walk, hear or see. "Aditya was gasping and his heartbeat had gone down. I then gave him general anaesthesia and conducted bronchoscopy. The operation went on for half an hour and I finally removed the stuck mutton piece," said Dr Raut.

Dr Raut said Aditya was fortunate to survive the ordeal and his case is a rare one. "Aditya is lucky to survive as he was brought to the hospital without delay. His is also a miraculous case as despite reaching tremendously low on oxygen–saturation level, he is now free from any neurological disorder which was a possibility in his case," said Dr Raut.

Aditya’s father Dayanand Shere was happy beyond words on seeing his recovered son. He also regretted feeding his son with mutton when he was unwell. "It was terrible seeing my own son struggling for breath," Dayanand said.