A moment of carelessness caused the baby to faint and turn purple from drowning.

(Dan Tri) - City Children's Hospital has just saved the life of a 17-month-old boy who drowned after falling into a bucket of water in his house.

The incident once again sounded the alarm about the risk of drowning in young children and the importance of proper first aid.

According to Dr. Nguyen Minh Tien, Deputy Director of the City Children's Hospital, baby VMA (17 months old, living in Tay Ninh ) was discovered by his mother falling face down into a bucket of water for about 2-3 minutes at noon on September 24.

When picked up, the baby was unconscious and purple. After being shaken upside down by neighbors and vomiting water, the baby was taken to a private clinic for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. When the heart started beating again, the baby was lethargic, slightly convulsing, given oxygen and transferred to the City Children's Hospital.

Children receive intensive care at the City Children's Hospital (Photo: Hospital).

At the hospital, doctors noted that the baby was lethargic, unconscious, had convulsions, had pale lips, and was breathing laboredly.

Laboratory results showed metabolic acidosis, hypoxemia, and bilateral pulmonary infiltrates on chest X-ray.

The baby was diagnosed with 2nd hour drowning, cerebral hypoxia, aspiration pneumonia and was actively treated with endotracheal intubation, anti-cerebral edema, anticonvulsants, antibiotics and acid-base electrolyte adjustment.

After more than a week of treatment in the Intensive Care Unit, the baby's condition has improved significantly, he has been weaned off the ventilator and transferred to the Respiratory Department for further monitoring.

Recommendations from experts

From this case, Dr. Tien recommends that parents should always be vigilant and closely supervise young children, because just a moment of negligence can lead to unfortunate accidents.

The doctor emphasized the importance of equipping the child with basic first aid knowledge for drowning children, including chest compressions and CPR. Absolutely do not shake, roll or press on the abdomen, because these actions are not only ineffective but also waste the "golden time" to save the child.

To prevent drowning, Dr. Tien made some specific recommendations: Buckets and basins containing water in the house must always have lids or be kept empty and dry; Older children should not bathe in rivers or streams without adult supervision; When taking children swimming in lakes, adults should always keep an eye on them, even when there is a guard. At the same time, public construction works with pits that are flooded when it rains must have protective fences and prohibition signs to prevent children from slipping.

In addition, Dr. Tien also encourages parents to let their children learn to swim early. This is not only a health training skill but also an essential survival skill for young children.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/phut-so-say-khien-be-bat-tinh-tim-tai-vi-ngat-nuoc-20251003211629944.htm