A one-and-a-half-year-old boy was rushed to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital after swallowing a plastic toy while playing at home. The child, identified as Vansh, began showing signs of discomfort and vomiting. His mother, Bhavika, noticed one of his toys was missing. When questioned, Vansh indicated he had swallowed the toy. The family immediately brought him to the hospital.
X-rays revealed that the entire toy, shaped like the Avengers character Hulk with its head, arms, and legs intact, was lodged in Vansh’s stomach.
Dr. Rakesh Joshi, part of the treating team, said removing the toy was difficult because of a natural valve between the esophagus and stomach. Attempts to hold the toy using an endoscope were complicated by air in the stomach, and pulling it by its limbs could have caused permanent damage.
After 45 minutes of careful work, the doctors successfully gripped the toy’s head and removed it safely through the valve. They said if the toy had moved into the intestines, it could have caused a rupture requiring major surgery.
Vansh is now recovering well. Doctors urged parents to closely supervise young children while playing and avoid giving them small or detachable toys that could pose a choking hazard.