Shimla doctors remove coin stuck in woman’s food pipe for 23 years

In a remarkable medical feat, doctors at the Atal Institute of Medical Superspeciality Hospital, Chamiyana, near Shimla, successfully removed a coin that had been lodged in a woman’s food pipe for an astonishing 23 years.

According to hospital authorities, the 23-year-old woman had accidentally swallowed the coin during childhood. For years, she experienced intermittent discomfort but recently began suffering from loss of appetite and difficulty swallowing, which prompted her to seek treatment at the Chamiyana hospital.

A team from the Department of Gastroenterology — comprising Dr. Brij Sharma, Dr. Rajesh Sharma, Dr. Vishal Bodh, and Dr. Ashish Chauhan — conducted a detailed examination and discovered the coin embedded deep in her esophagus. The case was particularly challenging, as multiple previous attempts at other hospitals to remove the object had failed due to the coin being stuck for so long and the surrounding tissues having hardened.

On Friday, the Chamiyana team performed a complex endoscopic procedure to extract the coin safely. The surgery required exceptional precision and patience, given the prolonged presence of the foreign object. “The coin had been lodged for years, and the surrounding tissue had turned fibrotic, making the operation extremely delicate,” said Dr. Brij Sharma, who led the team.

The doctors successfully removed the coin without any complications. The woman is now recovering well and remains under observation for a few days.

Hospital authorities hailed the successful operation as a significant medical achievement, showcasing the growing expertise of specialists at the state’s premier superspeciality hospital. The case has drawn wide attention in medical circles for its rarity and the skill involved in the procedure.