This x-ray demonstrates how a grape could obstruct a child's respiratory passageways if not cut in half

by Shirley Marie Bradby

July 30, 2018

This x-ray demonstrates how a grape could obstruct a child's respiratory passageways if not cut in half
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Mothers always keep their level of alert at maximum, and they are right to do so! In fact, when it comes to children, we know that two eyes are not enough and that we need a hundred.

Consequently, since experience teaches how and where it is best to direct those eyes, sharing stories between mothers - and dads - is of fundamental importance.

For this reason, a mother decided to make public her misadventure - that miraculously turned out well - regarding what her family experienced because of an apparently harmless grape.  

via IFL Science

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Finlee e Me/ Facebook

Finlee e Me/ Facebook

The photo in question is an X-ray image that clearly shows a grape stuck in the throat of the woman's 5-year-old son; fortunately, the airways had not been completely obstructed, and this allowed the child to undergo an operation to remove the grape, that saved him. 

The story was narrated by a pediatrician, with the mother's permission, and published on Facebook by Angela Henderson, author of Finlee and Me, a blog created in Australia that offers advice for parents; among these, to remove seeds and pits, steam vegetables to soften their consistency and cut grapes, cherry tomatoes, and hot dogs - both across and lengthwise.

A complete list would be long, but the important thing is to be aware of the fact that the trachea (windpipe) in children has a diameter slightly larger than that of a straw, so this should be taken into account in the preparation of all foods.

The risk of suffocation is not, in fact, as remote as one imagines. When cooking and generally giving food to children we must always ask ourselves if the nature of the food, its dimensions, and its temperature are suitable for the mouth of a child!

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