Boy, 3, almost drowns - doc saves him by turning him upside down
Doctor saves him by turning him upside down to drain water from his lungs
He first noticed the boy floating on his back in the adult swimming pool.
The next time Dr Low Lee Yong looked out of the restaurant window on the second storey of Temasek Club, a man believed to be the boy's father had lifted him out of the water.
"I knew immediately that something was wrong because the boy's limbs were flaccid," said Dr Low, 52, who was having lunch with his father and wife on Sunday.
He stood up and rushed to the restaurant's entrance. Just then, someone shouted "Any doctor?"
As he was new to the club, which is located at Rifle Range Road, Dr Low said he had some trouble getting to the swimming pool. But he made it there, just in time to see the boy lying on a sun bed and the same man massaging his chest area.
Dr Low announced that he was a doctor and took over immediately.
"The boy's face, lips and hands were purple. I checked his pulse and it was weak, but he was not breathing," said Dr Low, who is the CEO and founder of MHC Asia Group.
Although it was unorthodox, he proceeded to lift the boy upside down in an attempt to drain the water from his lungs.
But the boy was still not breathing, and Dr Low repeated the procedure. This time, some water came out of his nose and mouth.
When the boy was lifted upside down for the third time, more water came out from the nose and mouth.
Dr Low then performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and the boy coughed "a little bit". Colour returned to his face, showing some signs of life.
Dr Low said that he did not perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) because the boy's heart was still pumping.
He added: "I lifted the boy upside down to drain water out of his lungs because air will not be able to enter if water is present in the lungs.
"He is a small boy so that would be the fastest way to save him."
Dr Low noticed that the boy's swimsuit was very tight, so he asked for a pair of scissors to cut it open to make it easier for him to breathe while waiting for the paramedics to arrive.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force received a call at 2pm and said a boy, aged three, was taken to the National University Hospital. .
According to Shin Min Daily News, the boy has since been discharged.
THANKED
Temasek Club, in a Facebook post, has thanked Dr Low and those who had stepped forward to save the boy's life..
The management posted: "We are glad to update everyone that our young man is fine now, despite his harrowing ordeal.
"The family and the Club would also like to get in touch with Dr Low and the other heroes of the day."
The New Paper understands that a nurse and two other doctors were also at the scene.
Dr Low told TNP that he had received missed calls and messages from the family and Temasek Club since Sunday but was unable to return them as he had been busy.
He said: "I'd like to give time to the boy's family to recover from the trauma. There's no hurry to thank me because it's not a big deal. This is my job as a doctor anyway."
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER SOMEONE WHO IS DROWNING
- Call for emergency help.
- Do not attempt to rescue the drowning person by entering the water if you have not been trained as you will be endangering yourself.
- Throw a flotation device such as a rescue tube and life jacket, or extend a long pole for the drowning person to hold on to.
- Once the drowning person is on dry land, begin resuscitation/CPR if there is no spontaneous breathing or pulse. Keep the head and neck very still in case of spinal, neck, or head injuries.
- If the person was swimming in cold water, get blankets or otherwise help bring the person's body temperature back to normal.
Extracted from healthxchange.com.sg
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