A 15 cm long hair tie almost caused the death of an 80-year-old woman
A patient suffering from dementia began to choke in the geriatric ward at the Ziv Medical Center, and her blood oxygen level dropped. An examination revealed a large hair tie at the entrance to the esophagus that was blocking more than 80% of the airway. Two doctors extracted it using an optical fiber and forceps. "If we hadn't arrived in time, the patient would have died."
An 80-year-old patient was saved after doctors at the Ziv Medical Center in Safed extracted a large hair tie that had become stuck at the entrance to the esophagus and was blocking most of her airway. The woman, a resident of one of the villages in the Galilee who is dealing with advanced-stage dementia, is hospitalized in the hospital's geriatric ward. In recent days, she suddenly began to choke and suffer from swallowing difficulties and severe respiratory distress. At the same time, a significant drop in her blood oxygen level was recorded, and she was urgently transferred to the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) and Head and Neck Surgery Department.
Dr. Marwan Karam and Dr. Alaa Safia inserted an optical fiber with a camera at its tip through her nose, and with its help, they identified a large purple foreign object about 15 cm long at the entrance to the esophagus. Part of it was resting on the epiglottis, whose role is to protect the airway during swallowing. While one of the doctors continued to monitor the foreign object via the camera, the second doctor inserted forceps through the patient's mouth and extracted it. It then became clear that it was a large hair tie. The hair tie was blocking the airway by more than 80%.
"If we hadn't arrived in time, the patient would have died," said Dr. Karam and Dr. Safia.
According to them, due to her condition, she did not complain and was unable to draw her family members' attention to what was happening. Immediately upon the removal of the foreign object, she returned to breathing normally. At the end of the procedure, the patient was returned to the geriatric ward in good and stable condition.
Professor Salman Zarka, director of the Ziv Medical Center, stated: "Thanks to the alertness of the staff in the geriatric ward and the rapid action of the two doctors from the ENT department, the patient's life was saved. I would like to thank the teams, who continue to save lives every day with professionalism and dedication."
