Doctors at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital used a unique technique to remove a gemstone bead lodged in the windpipe of a nine-year-old boy. The boy, Krishna Nahak, from Ganjam district was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. While playing with a necklace of gemstone beads, the string snapped and one of the beads found its way into the windpipe of the boy.

First attended by an expert in ENT and skull base surgery, it was planned to conduct an open thoracic surgery. However, it was challenging as the patient’s airway was severely compromised. Later on, a very thin Fogarty embolectomy catheter was used to retrieve the gemstone bead. Once the catheter was successfully passed through the hole of gemstone bead, the balloon inflated and the gemstone was removed using a bronchoscope.