Doctors at a hospital in Hyderabad recently removed a pen cap from the lungs of a 26-year-old man, who had accidentally ingested it 21 years ago. The patient, from Karimnagar, sought medical help due to persistent coughing and unexplained weight loss, which worsened over the past 10 days, severely affecting his sleep.
Dr. Shubhakar Nadella, Consultant Clinical and Interventional Pulmonologist at KIMS Hospital, explained that a CT scan revealed a lump-like structure in the patient’s lungs. Initially thought to be an obstruction, it was later identified as a pen cap lodged inside. When questioned about his childhood, the patient’s brother recalled that, at the age of five, the boy had swallowed a pen cap. Although he had been examined by a doctor at the time, the foreign object was never detected, and it was assumed to have passed naturally.
The doctors performed a three-hour procedure using flexible bronchoscopy to remove the pen cap. They had to clear surrounding tissue buildup, lymph nodes, and muscle formations before successfully extracting the object. The prolonged presence of the pen cap had caused damage to the lung tissue, but with antibiotics, the patient made a full recovery.
Dr. Nadella stressed the importance of early medical intervention, warning that leaving foreign objects in the body for extended periods can lead to severe complications, including permanent tissue damage. He also advised parents to be vigilant about what children put in their mouths and seek immediate medical attention if necessary.
