FIVE-YEAR-OLD BOY SWALLOWED TOOTHBRUSH AND KEPT IT HIDDEN FOR A YEAR

(Why we should monitor Kids while they are Brushing)

In a shocking case, a five-year-old kid from Dhamtari, India – swallowed toothbrush and remained silent until six months ago when he started feeling excruciating pain while having food and urinating.

(Representative Picture Only)

The kid Rohan (name of the patient changed) was afraid of being scolded by mother, and for that reason didn’t report the incident of swallowing and subsequently forgot about it.

But gradually he did stat having discomfort but again kept it hidden as long as he can until the discomfort became too much to bear.

 When the pain aggravated, his parents consulted doctors at Raipur medical college, who detected a stone of 5 centimetres in his urinary bladder along with some foreign object.

Dr J Patel, paediatric surgeon, Raipur medical college, who treated Keshav, said – “The foreign object was not clear in the x-ray and ultrasound. When we pulled the stone out of the boy’s bladder, a 15-cm long stick came out with the stone covered with blood. Later, we came to know that it was a toothbrush.”

On being thoroughly questioned the child finally revealed the incidence of swallowing the tooth brush but could not remember the exact time around which he swallowed it.

His father was hugely surprised & shocked that the kid kept this matter hidden for such a long duration of nearly one year.

Dr Patel said, “It was an unusual case as generally we come across cases like swallowing of coins by children. The toothbrush pricked three holes in boy’s intestine and then reached the bladder.

People generally die in such cases if they are not provided treatment on time but how this little boy survived is nothing less than a miracle,” he added.

Dr Amin Meman, another paediatric specialist, who joined the operation, informed, “The boy might have swallowed the toothbrush a year ago and started complaining about the pains some six months ago. A stone of 5 cms take 6 months to form and he must have started having pains after the formation of the stone in the bladder.”

The efficient surgeons operated on the kid and repaired the damaged urinary bladder and intestine of the student and they hope that now the organs will return to their normal works and pain will reduce.

What to take out from this incident ?

1. The toothbrushes for kids are small in size compared to regular toothbrushes with a small handle and small brush head. So ideally kids up to 5 years old should never be left alone while brushing. As this case showed there are chances that kids might swallow on it or choke on it.
2. Young kids have a habit of playing and talking while doing anything, that includes brushing also. If not carefully monitored than the foam of the the paste might get in to the respiratory tract.
3. Some things as simple as brushing can also be risky for kids. SO always monitor the kids and teach them proper brushing habit, to do brushing gently and never to talk while brushing. 

Source : Raipur Times