Anantnag, Aug 4: An eight-year-old girl visiting from outside Jammu and Kashmir was brought back to life at Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag, after choking on a balloon and going into complete cardiac arrest.
The child had been playing when she accidentally inhaled a balloon that got stuck in her throat on Saturday evening.
She collapsed on the spot, unconscious and not breathing.
Her parents, on a visit to Kashmir, rushed her to GMC Anantnag, a journey that took about 30 minutes.
“They told us she wasn’t breathing, wasn’t moving, and they couldn’t feel a heartbeat the entire way,” said Dr Showket Shefa Shaeda, Associate Professor and Head of the Paediatrics Department, who was on hospital rounds when she arrived.
“She had no pulse, no signs of life. Her skin had started turning dark,” Dr Shaeda said. “But according to protocol, you still try, you don’t give up.”
The child was immediately taken to the Pediatric High Dependency Unit.
A team led by Dr Shaeda started cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and administered emergency medication.
“Within five minutes, her heart started beating again,” he said.
But she still wasn’t breathing properly.
During the procedure to insert a breathing tube, Dr Shaeda said something unusual.
“I saw a balloon stuck in her windpipe,” he said. “I couldn’t remove it without risk, so I carefully nudged it toward the food pipe using the breathing tube.”
Once her airway was partially cleared, doctors continued treatment and moved her to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) for ventilator support.
“Our priority was to stabilise her. Within minutes, we had a heartbeat and some breathing,” said Dr Shaeda.
He credited the newly established Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) and trained pediatric staff with saving the child’s life.
“If she had been referred to Srinagar, she likely wouldn’t have made it. This facility didn’t exist here last year, and now it’s already saving lives,” he said.
GMC Principal Dr Rukhsana Najeeb praised the emergency team’s fast, coordinated response and the hospital’s growing capacity to handle pediatric crises.
Dr Shaeda had a word of advice for parents.
“Toys are fine, but supervision is critical. Stay alert. And if something happens – even if the child seems lifeless – don’t lose hope. Get to a hospital right away. Medical science can do amazing things,” he said.
