Jerusalem doctors successfully pull ring out after toddler swallows it

A woman in east Jerusalem’s Shuafat neighborhood couldn’t find her gold ring, but doctors at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center (SZMC) did – in the food tube of her two-and-a-half-year-old toddler – and pulled it out gently after he was put under anesthesia.

The child, Adam, was refusing to eat and complained of mouth pain. An X-ray examination in an east Jerusalem hospital revealed the cause, but since the staff were unable to remove it, he was rushed to SZMC. There, ear-nose-and-throat (otolaryngology) specialists successfully removed the ring with a rigid endoscope without damaging the esophagus; The toddler was released home in good condition.

The boy, generally healthy and very communicative, acted strangely when his mother tried to feed him. When he reached SZMC, he was relatively relaxed without respiratory distress. Fortunately for him, the ring got stuck in the proximal esophagus and there was no danger of suffocation. However, the main concern in the case of swallowing a foreign body with jagged or sharp edges is that it may cause a perforation in the esophagus.

Back to normal soon enough

Adam returned to eating normally not long after the procedure. “The fact that he had told his parents that he had swallowed the ring and the immediate treatment prevented irreversible damage to the esophagus,” said Dr. Anat Dinur, a head-and-neck surgeon and senior physician in the otolaryngology department.

Dinur said it was an excellent opportunity to mention that one of the greatest dangers to young children is the ingestion of button batteries that are found in many children’s games and constitutes a medical emergency. “The battery closes an electrical circuit and produces significant damage to the adjacent tissues, edema, ulcers and even perforation in a short time if not extracted quickly.”

“God protected us,” said Adam’s father Muhammad. “We thank the team at Shaare Zedek for the immediate and dedicated care that saved his life. Shortly after the operation, Adam was back to smiling and eating.

“This incident reminded us to be careful and take care of our little ones,” the father concluded.