Israel: Baby swallowed his pacifier
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A multidisciplinary team of Hadassah’s specialists removed pacifier lodged in baby’s throat
The coordinated efforts of a team of doctors at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem managed to save a baby who had swallowed his pacifier, which was stuck deep in his throat.
It is still not clear how the one-year old baby swallowed the pacifier. “The pacifier was standard with a silicon tip and a hard, plastic handle and base,” said Dr. Menachem Gross. Ironically, in the past, there were fears that pacifiers made of soft plastic could be swallowed by young children, but today pacifiers are made with a wide base to prevent cases like this. At the time of the incident, the baby was at home under the care of his nanny, who realized what happened in time and rushed the baby to a nearby clinic. The nanny together with the clinic doctor took an ambulance to the Hadassah Medical Center’s Judy and Sidney Swartz Center for Emergency Medicine.
According to Dr. Saar Hashavia, Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, “The first call to Hadassah came from the local clinic doctor. The doctor continued to update our staff in the emergency room throughout their ride to the hospital. When the baby arrived at Hadassah, we were ready. A multidisciplinary staff of ear, nose and throat specialists, pediatric intensive care physicians, and anesthesiologists were waiting with the emergency room doctors. This definitely contributed to the effective treatment we provided.”
Hadassah Pediatrician Itai Gross, who was on duty, stated that the doctors initially tried to remove the pacifier, but this was not possible as it was stuck deep in the baby’s throat. Eventually, the baby boy was surgically treated by the specialized team of Dr. Menachem Gross, Director of Hadassah’s Pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat Department, and Head and Neck Surgery Specialist, Dr. Nir Hirshoren, along with a senior anesthetization team. “The pacifier was stuck in the baby’s esophagus and there was a risk of blocking its entire airway. In the surgery we managed to bypass the baby’s neck and extract the pacifier from the pharynx without cutting it,” said Dr. Menachem Gross.
Following several days in Hadassah’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Hillel woke up and was then transferred to the Pediatric Surgery Department. His parents were by his side throughout. “I want to thank all those whose actions led to my child still being here with me today, especially the personnel of Hadassah Hospital who worked with great dedication and did all they could for my boy”, said his dad.
For more than 100 years, Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem (www.hadassah-med.com) has been a leader in medicine and nursing in Israel, laying the foundation and setting the standards for the country’s modern health care system. The majority of medical breakthroughs in Israel have taken place there. With more than 130 departments and clinics, Hadassah-Ein Kerem provides Israel’s most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic services for the local and national population and a significant number of international patients.
iMER (International Medical Evaluation and Referrals) is a Worldwide Health Services Provider and the exclusive representative of Hadassah University Hospital in Greece and Cyprus, offering healthcare services in the most technologically and medically advanced centers in several countries all over the world and treatments that cannot be found elsewhere, by medical scientists that are pioneers in their field of specialization.
