Although unconfirmed, legend has it that the pediatric ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialty emerged because of the prevalence of tots sticking foreign bodies (FB) in those orifices. At least that’s what Sarah Gitomer, MD, was told more than once during her training in the field.
Now an ENT at Children’s Hospital Colorado and assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Gitomer finds the rumor easy to believe.
“We probably average three extractions a week. It’s a big part of many ENTs’ jobs,” she said of removing items from patients not meant for the human body.
Gitomer’s first lesson in FB extraction happened in childhood, when she and her two little sisters were reeling from the trauma of putting the family cat “to sleep.” The next day, her youngest sister stuck a bead up her nose, and doctors said they needed to put her to sleep before attempting extraction.
“Noooo,” her sister cried, begging the doctors not to take her sibling away. “She’s a good sister. She didn’t mean to be bad!’”
Today, Gitomer doesn’t use the term “put to sleep” when consulting with families.
Below, Gitomer and some of her department colleagues in the University of Colorado School of Medicine share memorable extraction stories.
Original source can be found here.
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