Miracle as schoolboy, 13, is revived after spending 25 minutes submerged in a river

May 14, 2019  16:30

A schoolboy miraculously survived after spending 25 minutes submerged in a river.

Kacper Krauze, 13, was pulled from the cold river in cardiac arrest but was saved by a treatment that oxygenated and warmed his blood.

The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNASS) worked with fire crews, police and ambulance staff to save the teen's life, after the incident in Appleby, Cumbria.

Steve Miles, GNAAS paramedic, said: 'I think this is what the job's all about. This is what we aim to achieve with every patient. You want a good outcome and to meet somebody like this.

On Tuesday the 13-year-old visited the charity's Langwathby base with his mother Wioletta and father Marek.

Mrs Krauze said: 'Every day it's a little bit better. It's like a miracle he survived. Thank you very much to the air ambulance. Absolutely wonderful job. Very, very professional people.'

'Last time I saw Kacper he was being resuscitated, he had no signs of life, and to meet him, talk to him, see him walking, is brilliant, absolutely fantastic.'

One of the most significant factors in Kacper's survival was the use of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO).

The ECMO machine is able to carry out the functions of both the heart and lungs, to provide blood flow and oxygen to the body. A cannula tube takes the patient's blood out of a large vein, to pass through the machine.

An external pump does the role of the heart, and blood passes a membrane that oxygenates the blood and removes carbon dioxide, doing the usual job of the lungs. The blood then goes back into the body through a tube in a large artery.

The machine is also able to warm the blood, which was important as Kacper's body temperature had cooled significantly while submerged in the river. 

Dr Gospel, aircrew doctor and clinical fellow in paediatric intensive care at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, was part of the team responsible for delivering the ECMO therapy in hospital.

After meeting Kacper and his family again last week, she said: 'Kacper has a truly inspiring story of amazing outcomes possible from the bleakest of circumstances. To see Kacper and his parents today, reminds us all of why we do what we do.'

GNAAS is reliant on donations to survive. To donate click here.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

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