Hyderabad woman nearly dies after betel nut lodges in airway

A 57-year-old Hyderabad woman nearly died after a betel nut slipped into her airway during sleep. She was rushed to Kamineni Hospitals with severe breathing distress. Doctors removed the object via bronchoscopy, saving her life despite multiple pre-existing health conditions

Hyderabad: A small piece of betel nut almost proved fatal for a 57-year-old woman from Hyderabad before senior pulmonologists managed to revive her at the nick of time.

The woman, who had kept a small piece of betel nut in her mouth, fell asleep, and the foreign body accidentally slipped into her airway, causing violent coughing, shortness of breath, and severe discomfort.

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When rushed to the emergency at Kamineni Hospitals, LB Nagar, the woman was in severe respiratory distress and was unable to breathe. Senior pulmonologists from the hospital, Dr E Ravinder Reddy and Dr Bharath Janapati, said the patient had to be placed on a ventilator in the ICU. Emergency tests revealed a complete blockage in the left bronchus, causing her left lung to collapse. The doctors also performed a bronchoscopy, which revealed obstruction due to the foreign object.

Given her medical history of hypertension, thyroid, and a previous angioplasty, the procedure required special care. With support from the anesthesia team, doctors performed a flexible bronchoscopy to remove the tightly wedged betel nut, Dr Bharath Janapati said.