Innocent Yet Life-Threatening Game of "Doctor & Patient"

An innocent game between two siblings almost ended in tragedy when part of a child's toy became stuck in 4½-year-old Shaked Klein's throat. The team in the Emergency Medicine Department (ER) rushed him to the operating room so that the toy part could be removed. Shaked was released home following the successful procedure and his recovery.

Dr. Meirav Sokolov, senior physician in the ENT Unit at Schneider Children's, noted that "Shaked arrived in a life-threatening condition due to the object stuck in his throat. The challenge was especially great because Shaked was unable to open his mouth and it was in fact difficult to know how far down the toy had reached. For the same reason, it was not possible to ventilate him through his mouth which required a unique approach by the anesthetist, Dr. Sheinkin. After Shaked was sedated, we performed a complicated procedure. In the end, we were able to successfully remove the foreign body through his mouth. The condition in which Shaked had arrived at the hospital could have caused serious damage such as tearing his palate, injuring the large blood vessels in his neck, inhalation into the lungs or swallowing the toy. The surgical team and I understood that we had to act without delay and with extreme care in order to extract the toy part without causing any collateral damage. We are pleased that it all ended safely, and at the same time, warn parents of the hidden dangers in some toys."

Seffi Klein, Shaked's mother noted that "Shaked was at home during the summer vacation and played "doctor and patient" with his sister with a toy that made hair decorations. At the end of the toy, there was a sort of hook, which his sister put into Shaked's mouth "for an examination". The hook got stuck in Shaked's mouth, and thus in the middle of a lovely day, we arrived in great alarm at the hospital to see, ironically, real doctors. We would like to thank the team at Schneider Children's for treating Shaked immediately and for saving his life. We ask all parents to be especially careful and always keep an eye on their children, because in one second, an innocent game can turn into a nightmare."