Seven year-old Devarajan would have never imagined that swallowing a tamarind seed would almost cost him his life.
The boy from Vilampatti village in Dindigul district accidentally swallowed the seed while playing at home on February 26. When he complained of breathlessness, his parents rushed him to the Government Hospital in Nilakottai. Last Monday, the boy was referred to Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) here, where he was admitted to the paediatrics ward. An X-ray of his chest revealed that one of the lungs had collapsed. Immediately, a bronchoscopy was done and the seed was detected in his bronchus.
He was shifted to the Department of Cardio Thoracic Surgery on Thursday, and the doctors removed the seed through an operation.