Dubai: Prompt action by Dubai paramedics helped save the life of an 11-year-old Iranian girl who stopped breathing after nearly drowning in her building’s swimming pool in Al Mamzar on Sunday.
Paramedics from the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services (DCAS) rushed to rescue the girl after receiving a call at 1pm, said Taleb Ghaloum Taleb, director of Ambulance Operations.
“The girl was reported to have stopped breathing and her heart had also stopped beating, which meant it was a critical situation,” he said. “Paramedics and an emergency doctor rushed to the girl’s rescue.”
Dr Hafez Mubarak Ali, the emergency doctor, said within four minutes of arriving, they found the girl without a pulse and unresponsive after her family had pulled her out of the pool.
“We quickly began the revival process to get her heart to beat again. We also gave her heart-reviving drugs and tried to open her airway using a tube. Within a few minutes, she began showing signs of recovery,” he said.
The girl was then immediately transferred to the hospital and her situation is now stable, he said.
Dr Ali said the timely arrival and efforts of the team of emergency personnel contributed greatly to saving the child, who is now healthy and stable.
“Her parents have been grateful and have thanked the team for bringing their daughter back to life,” he said.
He also called on all parents to keep a close eye on their children when they swim in a pool or at a beach to prevent their drowning, especially to see whether they are straying in to areas where swimming is not allowed.
“A child can stop breathing or fall unconscious after sinking in water, and in such cases, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) needs to be quickly carried out to save them. If the child stops breathing for four minutes, he/she could die, so acting fast in such situations is crucial,” he said.
