Pen Cap Lodged in Girl's Airway for 7 Years Removed at Mumbai Hospital

A 10-year-old girl named Mysha underwent surgery to remove nearly one-third of her left lung at SRCC Children's Hospital (Narayana Health) in Mumbai after doctors discovered a plastic pen cap lodged in her airway. The object had remained trapped in her airway for over seven years, during which her symptoms were repeatedly misdiagnosed as tuberculosis and asthma.

Mysha had suffered from a persistent cough and gradual weight loss since early childhood. Her family visited multiple hospitals over the years, but the underlying cause remained undetected. During this time, she was prescribed several courses of antibiotics, evaluated for tuberculosis despite a negative sputum test, and treated with inhalers for asthma, yet her symptoms persisted.

The obstruction was uncovered after she was admitted to SRCC Children's Hospital, where a CT scan revealed a collapsed section of her left lung. Doctors then performed a bronchoscopy using a thin tube equipped with a camera to inspect the airway, discovering the plastic pen cap lodged near the left lower lobe bronchus. An ENT team assisted in successfully extracting the object.

While her condition improved after the pen cap was removed, years of chronic infection caused by the lodged foreign body resulted in irreversible damage to her lung tissue. After monitoring her condition for several weeks, surgeons operated to remove nearly one-third of the affected lung. Medical staff reported that she is expected to make a good recovery and lead a normal life.

Medical experts noted that inhaled plastic objects do not show up clearly on standard chest X-rays, leading to frequent misdiagnoses. Doctors typically suspect a foreign body obstruction when pneumonia repeatedly affects the same region of the lung, or when respiratory symptoms fail to respond to standard treatment. Experts advised parents not to ignore persistent coughs, unexplained wheezing, or recurring chest infections.