Bengaluru: Toddler’s life saved after rare procedure removes chickpea lodged in lung

In a rare and complex medical intervention, a two-year-old girl from Kolkata was rescued from potentially permanent lung damage after a chickpea remained lodged in her airway for more than two weeks.

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Treated at Aster Whitefield Hospital in Bengaluru, the child had arrived in a critical condition with symptoms including persistent coughing, laboured breathing, and dangerously low oxygen levels.

A diagnostic scan revealed that nearly 75% of her left bronchus—the airway leading to the lung—was blocked by a chickpea. A previous failed attempt to dislodge the object had worsened the situation, increasing the risks of infection, inflammation, and chronic lung complications such as bronchiectasis.

To resolve the life-threatening blockage, the hospital’s paediatric pulmonology team employed a dual technique seldom used in young children. They combined cryoadhesion—a method that freezes and adheres to the object for removal—with basket retrieval, a strategy typically reserved for intricate adult airway cases. The delicate procedure, conducted under general anaesthesia, lasted just over 30 minutes.

The child responded swiftly post-surgery, showing significant improvement within 24 hours. She resumed normal breathing, regained her appetite, and returned to her active, playful self—marking a remarkable recovery.