Non-fatal drowning victim’s brain damage reversed
A toddler who suffered brain damage from a non-fatal drowning incident in Arkansas, USA, has reportedly been cured following a series of oxygen therapies.
Two-year-old-girl Eden Carlson was found face-down in her family pool in February this year, and was only revived after nearly two hours of CPR and 17 EpiPen shots. She was expected to remain permanently in a vegetative state.
However, following 40 rounds of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, she appears to be a fully functioning child. The results have been published in medical journal, Medical Gas Research.
More oxygen can be absorbed in a hyperbaric chamber, potentially restoring function to damaged cells and organs.
Daily Mail Online reported Eden’s New Orleans based physician, Dr Paul Harch who is connected to LSU School of Medicine, as saying this is the first case he’d seen make such a huge difference, and that while he had been confident it could help, the results exceeded his expectations.
Doctor knew there was a chance
As it was too far to travel to New Orleans, Eden’s family administered a low dose of two litres per a minute for 45 minutes, twice a day. Once Dr Harch saw the phenomenal improvement he knew they had a chance and told them to come down to Louisiana.
They started the therapy 78 days after her accident and after 40 sessions, her mother says she is almost the same as before.
Dr Harch did an MRI scan which showed her brain looked completely normal and he says she has unequivocally regrown substantial brain tissue. He says the key was catching it early.
“I was able to intervene early before she had permanently lost so much brain tissue. Because she was young and it was early, I thought we had a chance.”
See below for a series of videos from Dr Harch, as well as a report from Royal Life Saving Australia on non-fatal drowning.
A 13-Year National Study of Non-Fatal Drowning in Australia
US Study on non-fatal drowning via Scientific American
Dr Harch's presentation on hyberbaric treatments (1:17 video):
