Some secrets are kept secret until they are solved by knowledgeable eyes. The 21-year-old Jamshedpur young adult Sufiyan Ali’s road to recovery included a tale of medical skill and an uncommon cause for his ongoing sickness. He developed a significant coughing issue two years ago, which ultimately resulted in bleeding. He sought assistance from several ENT specialists, whose recommended drugs were able to temporarily halt the bleeding. However, the coughing would recur every five to six months.

Under the supervision of Dr. Aparna Chatterjee, Associate Consultant, Respiratory Medicine, Manipal Hospital, Broadway, he had surgery last month when his cough deteriorated and he started to lose weight and have sporadic fevers. Before a sharp, metallic spring was found deeply implanted in his airway, in the left subcarinal area—a region in the chest beneath where the airway forks and leads to the lungs—the symptoms were confusing.

Based on the patient’s symptoms, a bronchoscopy with endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) was initially scheduled to look into possible tuberculosis. This process uses sound waves to produce fine-grained pictures of the lungs and their surroundings. It is introduced into the airways via a bronchoscope, a tiny, flexible tube that allows medical professionals to view and evaluate tissues surrounding the lungs, including lymph nodes, to diagnose infections or even malignancies. A 2 cm long metallic spring was discovered by a High-Resolution CT (HRCT) Thorax scan after preliminary X-rays were inconclusive.

The medical staff at Manipal Hospital had to not only answer a medical conundrum but also handle a complex and extremely difficult extraction because the patient and his family had no recollection of any incident that could have explained the foreign body’s presence.

He was steady and free of the problem that had plagued him for so long by the time of his discharge on November 28, 2024. However, Dr. Debraj Jash, Head of Respiratory Medicine at Manipal Hospitals, has diagnosed him with tuberculosis and is treating him. To track his progress and make sure his return to a normal life goes smoothly, Mr. Ali will continue to have follow-up visits.

Priyanka Dutta