MP: Doctors at MYH in Indore Achieve a Medical Marvel… Live Fish Stuck in 1-Year-Old’s Throat; Life Saved Through Surgery

Indore. A truly astonishing case has come to light at MY Hospital in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, where the life of an innocent one-year-old child was suddenly put in peril while at play. A live fish became lodged in the child’s throat, causing his condition to turn critical. Thanks to the doctors’ promptness and a complex surgical procedure, the child’s life was ultimately saved.

Fish Removed and Placed Aside During Cleaning

According to the family members, the fish had been removed from the aquarium and placed aside while the tank was being cleaned at home. During this process, one of the children playing nearby picked up a fish in their hand. Upon seeing this, the one-year-old child began to laugh heartily. At that very moment, the fish—which was thrashing about in the hand holding it—slipped directly into the child’s mouth, traveled down his throat, and became stuck.

Child Begins Experiencing Difficulty Breathing

Following the incident, the child began to experience severe difficulty in breathing. He struggled with restlessness and distress. Blood also began to trickle from his mouth, causing his family members to panic; they immediately rushed him to MY Hospital. Upon examination, doctors discovered that the fish was lodged in the posterior part of the throat and, being alive, was constantly thrashing about—posing a grave risk of causing severe internal injuries to the child’s organs.

The Greatest Challenge: The Fish Was Alive

An emergency medical team was immediately constituted under the leadership of Dr. Yamini Gupta, Head of the ENT Department, and a decision to perform surgery was taken without delay. During the operation, the doctors faced their greatest challenge: the fish was still alive, and its fins and gills were moving, creating a persistent risk of damage to the child’s larynx (voice box) and esophagus (food pipe). The Gourami fish—measuring approximately three inches in length and one and a half inches in width—was carefully and successfully extracted. The surgery was a success, and following the treatment, the child’s breathing returned to normal. His condition is currently reported to be stable. An Extremely Rare Case
Experts state that such a case is extremely rare at such a young age and is believed to be the first of its kind in Central India. Timely medical intervention averted a major tragedy. Doctors have appealed to parents to keep young children under constant supervision and to keep them away from small objects or living creatures, as such negligence can prove to be life-threatening.