Al Ain doctors save life of woman with cotton bud stuck in her throat

Stick became lodged after her homecare assistant accidentally dropped it while cleaning breathing tube

Doctor saves life of a 80-year-old Emirati; Removes 10-cm long cotton bud stick from trachea. Handout

Doctors in Al Ain saved the life of an 80-year-old Emirati woman who had a cotton bud stuck in her throat.

The 10cm long stick fell into the woman's trachea after her home-care assistant accidentally dropped it while cleaning her breathing tube. It moved to her right bronchus, the passage that carries air to the lungs.

The woman was taken to Burjeel Hospital in Al Ain after her oxygen levels started to drop.

“By the time she reached the hospital, her oxygen saturation levels had gone critically low,” said ENT surgeon Dr Ayman Helal, who immediately moved her to an operating room.

The woman had been bedridden for years and was using a breathing tube with the support of a continuous positive airway pressure machine.

“The endoscopy revealed the position of the cotton bud stick in the right bronchus,” said Dr Helal.

“The presence of the foreign substance had triggered bronchial secretions, which filled the space around the lungs. There was mild bleeding in the lungs as well. Meanwhile, the oxygen saturation levels fell steeply, to worsen her condition.”

Medics maintained the oxygen saturation levels and removed the foreign body and the breathing tube in a procedure that took four hours.

“We reinserted the tracheostomy tube and stabilised the patient. We ensured that the lungs were not infected and there was no bleeding. The patient was kept in observation for a day and discharged on the next day,” said Dr Helal.

“Her brain and other organs were not affected and after removing the cotton bud her condition became stable.”

The family thanked the medical team at the hospital for saving the woman's life.

“When we realised that a cotton bud stick had gone inside the trachea, we panicked and were clueless. Seeing her gasping, we rushed her to the hospital,” a family member said.

“Dr Ayman Helal and the medical team were very supportive. It was a tough moment for us but the medical team reassured us. We would like to thank Dr Ayman and his team for saving her life.”