A team of doctors at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) here conducted a critical emergency medical procedure on Wednesday to take out a “hijab pin” from the right main bronchus of a 16-year-old girl.

Sneha Afroj from Prasanna Nagar in Jalpaiguri had accidentally inhaled the 4cm-long pin on Monday. The pin had lodged in the inlet of her right main bronchus.

The parents took the girl to a private nursing home in Siliguri where an attempt was made to remove the foreign object. It, however, didn’t work and on Tuesday, the teenager was brought to the ENT and head neck surgery department of NBMCH.

The doctors examined Sneha and decided to conduct an emergency rigid bronchoscopy to remove the pin. Rigid bronchoscopy is used in emergencies to
treat airway obstructions and other conditions, such as foreign object removal and
airway bleeding.

A multidisciplinary team, led by Radheshyam Mahato, the head of the ENT and head neck surgery department at the NBMCH, was formed. It included Saumik Das, Monideepa Sarkar, Soumendu Bhaumik, Ajitava Sarkar, and Tapabrata Pal from the ENT and head neck surgery department, along with anesthesiologists Subrata Mandal and Santanu Ghosh.

“The pin was posing a significant risk to the patient’s breathing. Today, our team worked swiftly to ensure a safe and successful outcome,” said Mahato.

Saumik Das, another doctor in the team, said: “We are pleased that the rigid bronchoscopy was performed uneventfully and the foreign body was retrieved.”

The girl, NBMCH sources said, is in the post-operative recovery room and under close observation. “She is in a stable condition and will completely recover soon,” said a doctor.