Doctor saves toddler by removing pin lodged in her airway

A two-year-old girl's life was saved by a swift and precise medical intervention at the National Institute of Respiratory and Environmental Diseases (Ineram) after she accidentally inhaled a pin that lodged in her airway.

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In a matter of seconds, without his mother being able to warn him, he put a pin in his mouth and inhaled it. The object ended up lodged in the left main bronchus.

The young patient, from the Ricardo Brugada neighborhood in Asunción, was rushed to the emergency center after the sharp object entered her respiratory system. The critical procedure was led by Dr. Carlos Morínigo, a former Minister of Health. He recounted the tense moments, explaining that the pin lodged in the child's left main bronchus, creating an immediate risk of perforation or asphyxiation.

Using a high-precision bronchoscopy, the medical team successfully located and removed the pin without causing further damage to the child's delicate tissues. Dr. Morínigo emphasized the human element behind the successful surgery, stating, "Behind every successful procedure there is not only a technique or a medical image: there is a life that continues. Science with humanity."

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Today that pin is out and a little girl returns to her family. Behind every successful procedure there is not only a technique or a medical image: there is a life that continues. Science with humanity.

Beyond the surgical success, Dr. Morínigo used the case to issue an urgent call for prevention in homes. He shared the details and images, not to alarm, but to educate families about the dangers posed by small objects like pins, coins, or seeds that young children might put in their mouths while exploring their surroundings. He stressed that such accidents can happen in mere seconds.

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I share these images not to alarm, but to prevent. At this age, children explore the world by putting objects in their mouths. A needle, a coin, a seed, or any small object can reach the respiratory tract in just seconds.