Friday, 15 Apr 2005

We had a truly frightening experience today when Gabriella’s trach tube blocked.

The Masimo Pulse Oximeter alarm alerted us to the possibility that something was amiss. Ella’s face was blue and she was not breathing when Mum and Dad arrived in her room moments later.

Everything happened very quickly but seconds felt like minutes. We removed the blocked trach tube from Ella’s neck and inserted the emergency trach tube which was close at hand. However, even with a clear airway Ella was not breathing.

Rescue Breathing: Although Ella’s chest inflated with each of the first two breaths blown into her trach tube, she still refused to breathe on her own. It wasn’t until the fourth rescue breath that Gabriella came sputtering back to life. She regained her normal pinkish color after just a few seconds of hard crying and coughing.

By the time the 9-1-1 Paramedics arrived (less than 5 minutes after we called), Ella was on oxygen and fairly stable. An hour later, Ella was almost back to normal – but still somewhat shaken.

We decided to keep Ella at home vice going to the Emergency Room, since the period of oxygen deprivation was so brief and since she seemed to be doing so well. The Paramedics supported our decision to remain at home since a trip to the ER would have undoubtedly resulted in her spending the night in the infectious environment of the pediatrics ward. Details to follow.

Thank you for your prayers.