With the advent of new money, there have been more cases of children swallowing coins
As Irina Yunes, Deputy Chief Physician for Pediatrics at the Vitebsk Regional Children's Clinical Center, reported, over six months, 23 foreign bodies were removed from the stomachs and esophagi of young patients admitted to the medical institution, of which almost half were kopecks. There were days when three children who had swallowed coins were hospitalized at the center in a single day.
Thus, unexpectedly, new money became a scourge for medics, and a threat to children's health. Of course, most of today's young parents grew up and lived only with paper money, and the presence of coins at home may be an unusual phenomenon for them, but this does not exempt them from responsibility. After all, kopecks are like any other small objects, parts that should not be visible, let alone in the hands of a small child who is always trying to taste everything. Doctors constantly emphasize this to parents, and most mothers and fathers know these elementary precautions. Pediatric injuries in the Vitebsk region are decreasing, but there are still various cases...
Endoscopists and surgeons at the regional children's hospital have accumulated a substantial collection of removed foreign bodies that toddlers, out of curiosity and parental negligence, have put into their mouths. In addition to coins, there are batteries that children easily remove from modern toys, puzzles, hairpins, and other small parts that have been in a child's stomach or esophagus. However, nuts and seeds, which adults often give to toddlers to try, most often end up in the respiratory tract. One
a child managed to be given nuts at the age of one and a half, and had to undergo bronchoscopy.
Another unusual case was reported by Irina Yunes. For example, medics were alerted when a young resident of the Vitebsk region was hospitalized with bronchitis twice in a short period. X-rays showed nothing suspicious, but a bronchoscopy revealed a piece of cellophane in the child's lungs. Many children like to hold rustling plastic bags, and, as a rule, adults do not deny their son or daughter such a simple pleasure. However, as the experience of Vitebsk medics has shown, one must be extremely careful and vigilant here too.
– If a child suddenly starts coughing or choking against the background of general health, you should call an ambulance immediately. Especially since the region has organized an emergency endoscopy service, – says Irina Voldemarovna. – Fortunately, this year parents sought medical help in a timely manner, and all cases of child trauma at our center ended successfully. However, parents should understand that the removal of foreign bodies by bronchoscopy and FGDS is performed under anesthesia, and such an operation is a significant stress for a child's body. If there is a mucous membrane burn, more than one procedure will be required, as scar tissue may form at the burn site and esophageal stricture may occur.
In addition, 9 poisonings have occurred since the beginning of this year, with which children ended up in the intensive care unit. The main cause is pills and nasal drops, carelessly left in an accessible place by adults. Often, a child gets to the medicine when visiting their grandmother, who always has a rich first-aid kit.
Burns are a separate topic that cannot be ignored, given the recent tragedy in the Tolochin district, when an 11-month-old girl overturned a mug of boiling water on herself and died in the regional hospital. In addition to thermal burns, chemical burns pose a great danger. Thus, in six months, 4 young patients with chemical esophageal burns were admitted to the children's center. This is the result of children's experiments with acetic essence, various cleaning agents, and potassium permanganate.
Another misfortune, primarily for one-year-old children, is falls from a height, resulting in fractures and skull bone cracks in infants. Neurosurgeons at the children's regional center encounter such cases at least three times a month.
If you need to step away for a minute, under no circumstances should you leave children on high beds, changing tables, or portable cribs, even if they have never fallen before. It is better to spread a blanket on the floor, surround it with pillows and toys, but do not leave an infant at a height, a pediatrician urges parents. No one is immune to accidents. For example, just for a minute, one mother left her baby in a portable crib, the infant fell out, resulting in a fracture in the temporal region; fortunately, the child survived.
– Children under 3 years of age cause the greatest concern, – emphasizes Irina Yunes. – It is not by chance that the state grants women maternity leave for such a period when a mother should be with her child at all times and pay maximum attention to them. Otherwise, the price of parental carelessness can be very high.
Natalia Ryzhkova. Photos by Anton Stepanishchev. "Vitebskiye vesti".