Three year old gulps supari, almost suffocates to death after a month

Mumbai : A month after gulping down supari (Betel Nut) during a marriage function, three year old Aiza Chaudhary was almost suffocated to death in Mumbai.

Doctors were quick to operate and recover a one-cm supari from her lung which blocked her windpipe for more than a month.

Last month, Aiza had gone to attend a marriage function with her parents where she might had gulped down supari.A small bit might had stuck in her lungs but she felt no discomfort for an entire one month.

"We did not know until Aiza developed a severe breathing problem which was later diagnosed with pneumonia," said the father who works in a private shop.

“The report show-ed that a supari was stuck in the left lobe of her lung. As if that was not enough, further investigation showed that it led to a blockage in her windpipe,” said Dr Pratibha Singhal, Chest Physician, Interventional pulmonologist, Bombay Hospital.

Later, she was admitted to a hospital where doctors tried to perform two rigid bronchoscopies, but could not remove it. She was then referred to another doctor who performed flexible bronchoscopy and removed the supari on Friday.

“The child is now stable,” said Dr Singhal.