Wed Feb 19 10:34:28 UTC 2025: ## 21-Year-Old Pen Cap Removed from Man’s Lung in Hyderabad
**Hyderabad, India** – Doctors at KIMS Hospital in Hyderabad have successfully removed a pen cap from the lung of a 26-year-old man, where it had been lodged for 21 years. The man, a resident of Karimnagar, presented to the hospital with a persistent cough and unexplained weight loss, which had worsened significantly in the preceding 10 days.
A CT scan revealed a lump in his lung, initially suspected to be an obstruction. However, during a three-hour procedure using flexible bronchoscopy, doctors discovered the object to be a pen cap. The patient’s brother then recalled an incident from his childhood, when the then five-year-old accidentally swallowed a pen cap. At the time, a doctor found no abnormality and assumed the object had passed naturally.
The prolonged presence of the pen cap had caused significant lung damage, including the buildup of tissue, lymph nodes, and muscle formations around the object. Doctors carefully removed these, along with the pen cap itself. Following antibiotic treatment, the patient has made a full recovery.
Dr. Shubhakar Nadella, Consultant Clinical and Interventional Pulmonologist at KIMS Hospital, stressed the importance of seeking immediate medical attention if a child swallows a foreign object. He warned that leaving such objects in the body for extended periods can cause severe and potentially irreversible lung damage. Dr. Nadella urged parents to remain vigilant about what their children put in their mouths.
First Piper 