Pune: Doctors at Sassoon Hospital Save 10-Month-Old Infant After Removing Peanut from Lung
Pune, 13th January 2026: Doctors at Sassoon General Hospital successfully performed a rare and complex surgery to save the life of a 10-month-old infant from Daund after a foreign object was found lodged in her left lung.
The infant, whose name has been changed to protect identity, was experiencing sudden breathing difficulty and persistent coughing. Despite initial treatment, her condition did not improve, prompting admission to Sassoon Hospital. A CT scan revealed a bead-like object in her left lung.
According to hospital officials, the child had earlier been admitted to the ICU of a nearby private hospital on December 3, where initial scans detected a foreign object in the lung. However, due to her very young age and the lack of specialised facilities, she was referred to the paediatric department at Sassoon Hospital for advanced care.
A repeat CT scan at Sassoon confirmed the presence of a small piece of peanut along with a bead in the infant’s left chest. Given the risk to her life, doctors decided to perform an emergency surgical procedure.
On December 29, the paediatric and ENT teams carried out a minimally invasive yet highly complicated surgery using advanced endoscopy, bronchoscopy and optical forceps techniques to remove the foreign objects from the lung. Doctors said the surgery was particularly challenging due to the infant’s age, making precision critical.
The operation was led by ENT department head Dr Rahul Telang, along with team leader Dr Sanjay Kumar Sonawale, associate professor Dr Rahul Thakur, and doctors Ankita Atram and Sneha Nilawade. The medical team confirmed that the surgery was successful and the infant is now stable.
Hospital authorities highlighted that timely diagnosis, referral and access to advanced medical technology played a crucial role in saving the child’s life. The case also serves as a reminder to parents to be cautious about small objects around infants to prevent accidental aspiration.
