A miracle happened in Canada’s Petrolia when a toddler was brought back to life after his heart stopped for three hours. The medical team of the entire Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital came together to save the child’s life who was found unconscious in the backyard pool. The 20-month-old, Waylon Saunders, was by medical definitions, dead. Yet, the determined medical professional refused to give up. The entire staff of the hospital from nurses to lab technicians stopped whatever they were doing and worked tirelessly for hours to resuscitate the toddler’s heart and in the end succeeded. CBC reported that for three hours without stopping, they took turns performing CPR on the toddler.
Waylon Saunders was found face-down in an icy backyard swimming pool of his babysitter. He had been there for at least five minutes, said London Health Sciences Centre. When the firefighters reached the 20-month-old, he was cold and lifeless. They brought him to Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital in Petrolia on January 24. However, the hospital did not have the same gear and staffing as a major paediatric hospital. Yet, no one was ready to give up that day. The entire staff dedicated the next three hours to only one job: To resuscitate Waylon.
Dr Janice Tijssen, director of the pediatric critical care unit at Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre shared how this process went. When Waylon arrived at Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital his body temperature was extremely low. So low that their equipment was unable to read it. Furthermore, the 20-month-old was also in cardiac arrest. The medical team needed to raise his body temperature fast. “They had a cycle of people providing CPR in Petrolia. They had people warming him with many different techniques,” Dr Tijsen was quoted as saying.
When Waylon’s body temperature reached 28 C, that’s when the medical team began to have hope. A critical care team from London, which is 100 kilometres from Petrolia was set on the way to help the toddler. They returned with the 20-month-old, and it was there that his care continued.
“There was a big team helping him then, keeping him comfortable as his organs started to heal. Then allowing him to wake up. He’s exceeded all expectations," said Dr. Janice Tijssen.
Waylon’s treatment included intubating him and putting him on a ventilator. Furthermore, the doctors at the London hospital troubleshoot what they call organ instability. The idea was according to Dr Tijssen to try to keep Waylon alive. This was the only way the team of medical professionals could give him the best chance at a good recovery.
Meanwhile, the Petrolia daycare has found itself in hot waters with municipal bylaw infractions over how inspectors found problems with the pool’s protection. The daycare operator is charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm. They will appear in a Sarnia court in March.
Read all the Latest Buzz News here