These images show part of a golden necklace after it was swallowed by a baby while his parents left him briefly unsupervised.
X-ray footage of the object in the baby’s oesophagus was taken by the Bao’an Maternity and Children’s Clinic in the city of Shenzhen, in China’s Guangdong Province on 29th April.
The 2-centimetre (0.7-inch) section of a necklace that was apparently part of the clasp can be seen stuck in the throat of the baby boy, a 9-month-old named only as Lele.
It apparently got stuck while the child’s parents were not paying attention.
The hospital revealed that the parents took Lele to the hospital after he experienced repeated coughs that seemed to be getting worse.
Physicians decided to examine the child’s lungs with an X-ray scan. The attending physician of pediatric gastroenterology, Zhong Kexing, was called in to conduct the investigation.
Zhong Kexing, together with chief paediatricians Guo Jingtao and Long Xiaoling, performed gastroscopy and discovered that the section of the clasp that appears to be bent wire was threatening to be sucked into his lungs or possibly pierce the wall of his throat and damage his heart.
After intensive work, the doctors managed to remove the foreign object from the child safely.
Zhong Kexing later explained that toddlers swallowing objects were a common occurrence, indicating that the period between three months and two years is the time which parents call the period of “putting everything in the mouth”.
According to the hospital, shortly after the procedure, Lele recovered and was discharged from the hospital.
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Story By: Filip Dzambazoski, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Asia Wire Report
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