Taken too soon
9-year-old boy drowns
Thabazimbi – The life of a family was forever changed when their nine-year-old boy drowned in a freak accident on Saturday afternoon, 13 November.
He was enjoying his afternoon with other children in the water when his arm apparently got stuck in an underwater outlet suction pipe. It is unknown how long the boy, who is said to be a strong swimmer, was stuck before the other kids noticed what was happening. They immediately raised the alarm. The boy’s parents immediately started Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) after struggling to free him from the pipe.
Doctor Wynand Kruger met the parents halfway on their way to hospital and took over giving CPR to the boy (from them). Even with all the efforts by his parents, Dr Kruger and the personnel at the hospital, they sadly, could not revive him.
Dr Kruger, who is saddened by the death of this young boy, shared valuable tips for when tragedy strikes. “Time is of the essence, every second counts,” he says.
He shared the following:
With a drowning or near-drowning, feel for a pulse.
- If there is a pulse, but no breathing, give the patient one breath every 5 to 6 seconds.
- If there is no pulse, start with CPR immediately.
- While performing CPR, get the person to a hospital as soon as possible.
“It is very difficult to be sure about the heart activity of a patient without a heart monitor. Sometimes you might not feel a pulse, but you would be able to pick it up on a heart monitor. Then only can a doctor assess if the patient needs to get an electric shock to restore normal heart rhythm,” Dr Kruger went on to explain.
He says that even with a near drowning, it is extremely important to take the patient to the nearest hospital as soon as possible, as they are not out of danger and need to be monitored.
He gave the following tips on CPR:
- To do CPR, use both of your hands in the middle of the chest of the person, and do compressions.
- You should do 100 to 120 compressions per minute. After every 30 compressions, you need to do 2 breaths.
- Doing CPR on a baby, a child and a grown up differs in approach, but the 30:2 – thirty compressions for two rescue breaths are the same.
- Remember, the chest needs to be compressed, to compress the heart, to pump blood.
- You need to open the airways of the patient, lift the chin, close the nose, and cover the persons mouth with your mouth. Look at the chest, the air must enter the lungs and not the stomach.
- Because a child’s airway is more fragile than an adult’s, use caution when providing rescue breaths and be careful not to tilt the head back too far. When providing chest compressions, use one or two hands, depending on the size of the child. The depth of compressions should only be three and a half centimetres.
- Great care should be taken when performing CPR on an infant. Although a baby’s bones are more flexible, they’re also much more delicate. Firstly, confirm that the baby is unconscious. Do not shake the baby; instead, shout and tap or flick the soles of the infant’s feet. Do not tip the head back too far! Be very gentle when providing rescue breathing; don’t use the full force of your lungs to expel air. Instead, use your cheeks and puff air into the infant’s mouth and nose. When providing compressions, use two fingers at the centre of the baby’s chest. Compressions should be about three and a half centimetres deep, also at a rate of 30:2 rescue breaths.
- In all cases, unless the patient comes to, continue with the CPR until trauma personnel can take over.
“It is extremely important to get first aid training. It can be the difference between life and death,” Dr Kruger added.
Our sincerest condolences with the loved ones of the boy who was taken too soon. May you find the strength to bear the loss which will always be part of you and those who were part of his life.
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