Pen Cap Stuck In Man's Lungs For 21 Years, Removed By Hyderabad Doctors

Hyderabad: A 26-year-old man from Karimnagar had a pen cap removed from his lungs by doctors at a Hyderabad hospital, 21 years after accidentally ingesting it.

The man recently sought medical attention for a persistent cough and unexplained weight loss, and after tests, he was shockingly diagnosed with a pen cap in his lungs.

Dr Shubhakar Nadella, Consultant Clinical and Interventional Pulmonologist in KIMS Hospital, said, ""When the patient arrived, we conducted a CT scan, which showed a lump-like structure inside his lungs. We initially assumed it was an obstruction causing his persistent cough. However, during the procedure, we discovered that it was actually a pen cap lodged inside,"

According to the doctor, the youth's condition worsened significantly over the last 10 days, making it difficult for him to sleep.

"Midway through the procedure, we called in his elder brother and asked if he had ever swallowed anything as a child. That's when he recalled that, at the age of five, he had accidentally swallowed a pen cap. At that time, he was taken to a doctor, who conducted an examination but found nothing abnormal, assuming that the foreign object had naturally passed out of the body," doctor added.

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Using a flexible bronchoscopy, the doctors carefully removed the tissue buildup, lymph nodes, and muscle formations around the object.

The procedure to remove the pen cap from the lungs took nearly three hours.

Doctore said, "Once the surrounding area was cleared, we successfully extracted the pen cap. The prolonged presence of a foreign body had caused lung damage, but we managed to restore the affected area with antibiotic treatment. The patient has now fully recovered,"

He highlighted the importance of timely medical intervention in such cases, “Leaving foreign objects inside the body for an extended period is extremely dangerous.”

"If the patient had delayed medical treatment further, the lung tissue would have been completely damaged, requiring surgical removal of the affected section." he added.

The doctor advised parents to be vigilant while their children play and monitor what they put in their mouths, highlighting the need for immediate medical attention if a child swallows any object to prevent severe complications.