Specialists removed the LED bulb located inside the infant’s left lung airway through what the Indian Army described as a “very complex procedure.”
In a rare and high-risk medical intervention, Indian Army doctors in Pune performed a life-saving laparoscopic surgery on a nine-month-old baby at the Army Institute of Cardiothoracic Sciences.
Specialists at AICTS removed the LED bulb located inside the airway of the infant’s left lung through what the Indian Army described as a “very complex procedure”.
“Specialists at the Army Institute of Cardiothoracic Sciences (#AICTS), Pune, successfully saved the life of a 9-month-old baby boy after removing a dangerous LED bulb containing corrosive wires located deep in the airway of the left lung through a highly complex bronchoscopy procedure,” the Indian Army’s Southern Command said in a post on X.
They further stated that this was a “life-threatening emergency” and carried the risk of airway collapse and major lung surgery. However, Southern Command said doctors performed the procedure with “exceptional precision” to restore the infant’s normal breathing, avoiding a “potentially fatal outcome without complications.”
Southern Command also shared photos of the small LED bulb with its wires, which were extracted from the nine-month-old’s lung, as well as before and after X-rays of the part of the organ where the body was stuck.
‘Real-life heroes’: Social media users react to this feat
Social media users praised the army doctors’ precision and training after the complex surgery, with one post describing them as “true heroes.”
One user said: “Performing such a delicate operation on such a young child was very difficult, but the doctors’ precision and dedication brought comfort and happiness back to the family. Truly, doctors are heroes in real life.”
While one user highlighted concerns about handing items to children nearby, another said doctors removed the bulb using bronchoscopy and thus avoided open surgery.
“This highlights medical excellence and the need for better prevention at home,” the user stated.
Government doctors save a newborn born with a rare birth defect
In a similar feat, government doctors in Patiala last week succeeded in saving the life of a one-day-old girl born with a rare birth defect. Much of the infant’s food canal (esophagus) was incomplete, leaving her unable to swallow milk or saliva.
Doctors at Rajendra Hospital in Patiala created an opening in the esophagus through the neck to allow saliva to drain and inserted a feeding tube directly into the baby’s stomach to ensure nutritional support, according to an earlier HT report.
Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh lauded the expertise and coordination of the doctors, while stating that the entire procedure was conducted free of cost under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana.
