7-Year-Old Girl Suffers From Chronic Coughing After Swallowing a Toothpaste Cap
A little girl suffered from an unexplainable cough. They later discovered something foreign inside her airways that may have prompted the chronic cough.
Little Girl Swallowed Toothpaste Cap
After being transported to the hospital, a 7-year-old girl's prolonged and inexplicable cough was discovered to have a rather peculiar reason. The youngster from Encarnación, Paraguay, had coughed continuously for 20 days without any apparent cause. Her bronchoscopy and X-ray examinations by medical professionals at the Hospital Regional de Encarnación revealed that she had a toothpaste cap wedged inside her airways and lungs, Newsweek reported.
The patient was saved by prompt medical attention after presenting to the hospital with a chronic cough that had persisted for 20 days, according to information shared on Facebook by Hospital Regional de Encarnación.
According to the hospital, a bronchoscopy revealed that a bizarre body was clogging the airways, which was the likely cause of the issue. The doctors were originally unsure of what the girl's internal foreign item might be. They didn't realize it was a toothpaste cap until they had removed it.
The report did not specify how the object ended up inside the girl's body. They assumed the girl had swallowed or inhaled it.
Young children are at risk from small things like toothpaste caps. Frequently, the child may unintentionally swallow it, perhaps obstructing their airways severely and risking choking.
Batteries, which can cause ferocious chemical burns inside a child, and sharp things like screws and nails, which can cause cuts and perforations inside the digestive tract, are the most hazardous items to swallow, per Newsweek. Furthermore, anything obstructing the child's airways poses a serious concern because it could become lodged within and cause asphyxiation.
Sometimes things get stuck inside the body without suffocating or doing major harm, as happened to the girl in Encarnación. The discovery of a 0.8-inch pen cap lodged inside the right lung of a 7-year-old girl in China in 2020 is another instance of this.
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How to Keep Babies From Swallowing Dangerous Items
WebMD shared several points to keep babies away from swallowing dangerous items. Among the choking hazards that parents should keep an eye on are coins, buttons, small balls, marbles, hair bows and barrettes, rubber bands, pen caps, refrigerator magnets and small pieces of pet food.
Thus, parents should sweep the floor and check furniture and the under and between cushions. Also, younger kids should not be allowed to play with toys meant for older children that may have small parts that can come loose.
Also, keep your baby away from battery-operated items. Many items, like watches, auto fobs, and TV remote controls, use tiny button-type batteries that are simple for your baby to swallow.
According to KidsHealth, one of the ways that newborns and young children explore their worlds is by placing things in their mouths. Food, toys, and other small things that are easily able to get lodged in a child's windpipe commonly cause choking.
By being aware of the risks, you can protect your children and avoid choking. The outlet suggested never buying vending-machine toys for small kids because they do not meet safety regulations and often contain small parts. Additionally, encourage kids not to put pencils, crayons, erasers or any small items in their mouth.
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