A toddler aged about one year and months stopped eating solid food – and at the hospital they discovered that a metal object in the shape of a star was stuck in her throat. The doctors believe that the object was in the toddler’s esophagus for about two weeks. At the Safra Children’s Hospital, the toddler Zohar was hospitalized in the intensive care unit and sedated, she underwent a complex operation at the end of which the doctors managed to extract the star without damaging her esophagus.
The event began on Saturday two weeks ago, when the parents of the toddler Zohar noticed that she refused to eat solid food. Her appetite was not affected, but every time she tried to eat she threw up. During these two weeks, the toddler only ate bottles of milk substitutes, and she got weaker and weaker.
The doctors at the health fund saw redness in Zohar’s throat, and suspected that it was probably a virus. The parents, who returned home with Zohar, realized that something was wrong. The girl has an appetite, eats from bottles, but cannot eat solid food. At some point, almost two weeks later, her mother noticed that she started breathing less well, and they went back to the doctor in the community. The doctor heard the wheezing in her breathing, and even though she said her lungs were clean, she decided to refer Zohar for imaging.
When they took the photo and left it, the x-ray technician ran after them and showed the parents that Zohar had a star-shaped object in the esophagus. They were immediately referred to the emergency room at Safra Children’s Hospital, where Zohar was rushed to the complex surgery – which ended successfully.
The metallic star, after being removed from the toddler’s throat | Photo: Spokesperson of Safra Hospital
The hospital asked to be reminded that if there is difficulty in eating solid food or changes in eating habits, as well as strange vomiting of phlegm and saliva, at such ages one should also think about the possibility of swallowing an object. The doctors make it clear that this is an accident that could lead to a real danger to life. “Zohar was referred to us for pediatric intensive care, we immediately anesthetized and ventilated her. She already had significant edema around the star and there was a fear of damaging her esophagus,” explained Dr. Marina Rubinstein, a senior physician in the pediatric intensive care unit at Safra Hospital.
“After trial and thought, in the end, in a complex procedure, Dr. Carmel Elder, an otolaryngologist, was able to remove the star safely,” added Dr. Rubinstein. “Thanks to the expertise and great care taken in the department, they were able to remove the star without any damage to the toddler’s esophagus and she actually started eating again today.”
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