Baby dies in sleep from heart attack
No parent should bury their child. This family had to do so when Merlin, their one-and-a-half year old baby girl did not wake up one day. Read on to find out what you need to know surrounding cardiac arrest in children.
A South Indian family residing in Sharjah and hailing from Kerala went to sleep happy and peaceful. When they woke up, their lives were shattered. Their baby dies in sleep!
Baby dies in sleep
They found Merlin, their one-and-a-half year old baby girl, motionless in the morning. They immediately rushed her to the hospital, where the girl was declared dead.
The Sharjah Police forensic report confirmed that the baby died of cardiac arrest. The unfortunate incident took place on July 10th.
A close family friend said, “The family is shattered by the death. She was hale and hearty and we did not notice any signs of sickness”.
“This is the first time that I have dealt with a one-and- a-half year old dying of heart attack,” said Ashraf, an Indian social worker who helps expatriate families, take back home the deceased.
Related: Woman dies, delivers baby, and returns to life
“She was quite a charming girl and the entire neighbourhood is shattered by her death,” added another family friend.
“I have handled several hundred cases from the Indian community in the UAE. According to Dr Sajan Koshi, cardiac surgeon from India, 8 out of 1,000 new born babies suffer from this kind of heart disease, which causes them to be born prematurely too.
“Every year there are 100,000 new cases reported from India. In the South Indian state of Kerala alone about 4,000 children are born with the heart condition. This causes death in babies when corrective surgery is not conducted early,” he said.
Baby dies in sleep because of heart attack: Common causes for cardiac arrest in children
Out of the several other reasons, the three most common causes of cardiac arrest in children which could lead to death in babies are -
1. Trauma
In children and infants, trauma generally results from accidents, injuries or impact, and suggests a considerable degree of injury. Trauma also indicates secondary complications, including shock, cardiac arrest, and in some cases even death in babies.
2. Poisoning
Accidental poisoning occurs due to ingestion rather than inhalation or skin contact. While many poisonings are treatable at home with instructions provided by poison control centers, other poisonings warrant emergency medical treatment. The results of poisoning could be loss of consciousness, seizures, cardiac arrest and death in babies.
3. Respiratory disorders
Respiratory conditions can quickly deteriorate and may subsequently lead to cardiac arrest. Respiratory disorders most often resulting in cardiac arrest arise due to airway obstruction, smoke inhalation, drowning, infection and SIDS causing death in babies.
The best clinical measures to save a child with a cardiac arrest are-
1. An early diagnosis of cardiac arrest in a child if found with one of the following conditions
• has stopped breathing,
• has no pulse,
• and/or has lost consciousness.
2. The foundation of effective cardiac arrest management for children or infants lies in the quality of the basic life support (BLS) provided.
3. Any child with a pulseless arrest should receive CPR, chest compressions and ventilation (until an advanced airway is placed), rhythm check and shock delivery.
4. However, prevention of cardiac arrest through early heart condition detection and treatment is more effective than treating the cardiac arrest.
Sources:
Baby girl dies in sleep of heart attack; Sharjah family shattered
The Three Most Common Causes of Pediatric Cardiac Arrest