JohnCenaFan28
02-10-2009, 10:01 PM
A two-year-old girl has made an almost complete recovery after spending nearly 20 minutes at the bottom of a pool.
Scans showed Oluchi Nwaubani had been starved of oxygen for some 18 minutes - three times longer than the brain can usually survive.
Despite being warned she may never walk or talk again, her parents say she can run around and say "what she wants", reports the BBC.
Prompt response by both ambulance and helicopter to the scene of the accident in Bromley, south London, may have made the difference.
Oluchi was rapidly airlifted to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel before being transferred for specialist care to Great Ormond Street - after three days she was breathing again on her own.
"Contrary to popular belief small children are quite strong - they have very healthy hearts, lungs and brains," says Ffion Davies, an A&E consultant.
"On top of that, the cold water will have slowed down the body's metabolism and so you can actually survive quite a long period without oxygen."
Three months on from the accident, Oluchi's parents are hopeful of a full recovery. They say movement is currently the main problem.
"Nevertheless she is now on her feet - she's walking, she's running, and her speech is very good," says her mother, Tayo. "She's all over the place. You can't keep her down."
-Nova
Scans showed Oluchi Nwaubani had been starved of oxygen for some 18 minutes - three times longer than the brain can usually survive.
Despite being warned she may never walk or talk again, her parents say she can run around and say "what she wants", reports the BBC.
Prompt response by both ambulance and helicopter to the scene of the accident in Bromley, south London, may have made the difference.
Oluchi was rapidly airlifted to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel before being transferred for specialist care to Great Ormond Street - after three days she was breathing again on her own.
"Contrary to popular belief small children are quite strong - they have very healthy hearts, lungs and brains," says Ffion Davies, an A&E consultant.
"On top of that, the cold water will have slowed down the body's metabolism and so you can actually survive quite a long period without oxygen."
Three months on from the accident, Oluchi's parents are hopeful of a full recovery. They say movement is currently the main problem.
"Nevertheless she is now on her feet - she's walking, she's running, and her speech is very good," says her mother, Tayo. "She's all over the place. You can't keep her down."
-Nova