They are downy spring messengers -and an unexpected problem for the ENT department of the St. Pölten University Clinic: Palm Kittens who are increasingly countries in the ears and noses of children.
Every year in the spring the meadows bloom and every year children seem to be fascinated by the soft surface. “But this year it is worse than normal – we have had several cases in the last few days,” says the sensitive senior doctor Dr. Astrid Magele. “
The diagnosis: curious toddlers who put the soft plants in their nose or ears because they “feel so good”. But while Palmkatzerln naturally appears softly, they can get enormous in narrow nose passages or ears. “They stimulate mucous membranes and have an uncomfortable impact on the wells of my small patients,” the doctor said.
Not just palm kittens
But the wonderful flora is not the only thing that Dr. Magele and their team have to reveal. Recently a worried mother came in first aid with her toddler. A plastic toy that was not that small was swallowed. The strange body got stuck in the esophagus. Thanks to quick response, the object could be removed and the danger to life was forbidden. “It was a tight thing,” says Dr. Magele.
Foreign bodies in the nose, ears and esophagus are nothing unusual for pediatricians and graft specialists. “We get to see everything – from peas and mutter to pearls, beans and eraser,” says the top surgeon with a smile. “But Palmkatzerln? They only appear in this frequency in the spring.” The doctor therefore advises parents to be particularly attentive when dealing with the downy Spring Messengers.
Source: Krone
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