An autopsy has revealed a two-year-old boy died after a botched procedure to remove a piece of popcorn from his nose led to his lungs and stomach exploding
A two-year-old boy died after his lungs and stomach burst during a botched procedure to remove a corn kernel from his nose.
An investigation has been launched in Brazil after tot Ravi De Souza Figueiredo died hours after being treated and discharged from the Goiatuba Municipal Hospital. It has since been revealed that medics at the site first tried to remove the piece of popcorn with tweezers. However, after that failed, they used a rubber air horse to force it out using compressed air. Ravi’s dad, Josenilson da Silva Figueired, told local media his son immediately vomited and his stomach was swollen like a basketball but medics told him it was “normal”.
Sadly, the youngster’s condition deteriorated when he returned home. His father said: “He remained bloated, weak, and couldn’t speak. He didn’t look well, he was distressed, so we returned to the same hospital.”
Emergency medics transferred him to a larger hospital but on the way there he struggled for breath and was declared dead soon after.
Ravi’s mum, Priscila Marta de Souza, explained: “I saw the moment the nurse lowered her head. She said, ‘Unfortunately, your son has passed away’. I went into despair.”
Five months on from his tragic death, on April 5, an autopsy revealed that the boy died because his lungs and stomach had been ruptured.
His distraught dad Josenilson added: “Ravi was fine, he was a healthy child, running everywhere. I want justice. It’s so painful.”
Police and prosecutors have opened an investigation into negligent manslaughter by the hospital’s medical staff. Police Chief Sergio Henrique Alves explained that it was during the procedure to try and get the kernel out of the boy’s nose that the horrific incident occurred.
Chief Alves addressed local media on Wednesday, July 9, about the tragic case, saying: “When trying to remove the corn kernel, which was in the boy’s nose, the doctor used a non-standard technique, which is not recommended – introducing a compressed air cannula into the child’s upper airways. This caused air to enter the lungs and stomach with great force, leading to the rupture of these organs.”
So far, the hospital has declinded to comment on the young boy’s shocking death.