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| Toddler survives pool 'drowning' | Toddler survives pool 'drowning' |
| (41 minutes later) | |
| A two-year-old girl has made an almost complete recovery after spending nearly 20 minutes at the bottom of a pool. | A two-year-old girl has made an almost complete recovery after spending nearly 20 minutes at the bottom of a pool. |
| Scans showed Oluchi Nwaubani had been starved of oxygen for some 18 minutes - three times longer than the brain can usually survive - in Bromley, London. | |
| Despite being warned that even if she were to live she may never walk or talk again, her parents say she can run around and say "what she wants". | Despite being warned that even if she were to live she may never walk or talk again, her parents say she can run around and say "what she wants". |
| Doctors say while the case is highly unusual, it is not unprecedented. | Doctors say while the case is highly unusual, it is not unprecedented. |
| Prompt response by both ambulance and helicopter to the scene of the accident in south London last September may well have made the difference between life and death. | |
| Oluchi was rapidly airlifted to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel before being transferred for specialist care to Great Ormond Street - after three days she was breathing again on her own. | Oluchi was rapidly airlifted to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel before being transferred for specialist care to Great Ormond Street - after three days she was breathing again on her own. |
| FROM VICTORIA DERBYSHIRE More from BBC Radio 5 live | FROM VICTORIA DERBYSHIRE More from BBC Radio 5 live |
| As well as the rapid, high level of intensive care Oluchi received, her youth combined with the cold water may also have helped her beat the odds. | As well as the rapid, high level of intensive care Oluchi received, her youth combined with the cold water may also have helped her beat the odds. |
| "Contrary to popular belief small children are quite strong - they have very healthy hearts, lungs and brains," says Ffion Davies, an A&E consultant and member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. | "Contrary to popular belief small children are quite strong - they have very healthy hearts, lungs and brains," says Ffion Davies, an A&E consultant and member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. |
| "On top of that, the cold water will have slowed down the body's metabolism and so you can actually survive quite a long period without oxygen." | "On top of that, the cold water will have slowed down the body's metabolism and so you can actually survive quite a long period without oxygen." |
| Children cool faster than adults because they have a higher ratio of surface area to weight than adults. | Children cool faster than adults because they have a higher ratio of surface area to weight than adults. |
| Keeping cold | Keeping cold |
| Oluchi's case may be unusual but there have been several such cases of both children and adults surviving prolonged periods under water in recent years. | Oluchi's case may be unusual but there have been several such cases of both children and adults surviving prolonged periods under water in recent years. |
| Contrary to popular belief small children are quite strong - they have very healthy hearts, lungs and brains Ffion Davies A&E consultant | Contrary to popular belief small children are quite strong - they have very healthy hearts, lungs and brains Ffion Davies A&E consultant |
| Last year, a 35-year-old London architect was found floating in the water off Cape Town: when dragged to shore he was not breathing and had no pulse. | Last year, a 35-year-old London architect was found floating in the water off Cape Town: when dragged to shore he was not breathing and had no pulse. |
| While it is not clear how long John Deeks spent under water, it is thought he was without a pulse for as long as an hour. | While it is not clear how long John Deeks spent under water, it is thought he was without a pulse for as long as an hour. |
| Cool water is thought to have played a part in his survival - the water he was swimming in was likely to have been around 15C (60F). | Cool water is thought to have played a part in his survival - the water he was swimming in was likely to have been around 15C (60F). |
| There have also been a string of cases documented in the US. Oluchi's case is put into perspective by that of Michelle Funk, who was also two when she was submerged in a cold Utah river for nearly 70 minutes in 1986. | There have also been a string of cases documented in the US. Oluchi's case is put into perspective by that of Michelle Funk, who was also two when she was submerged in a cold Utah river for nearly 70 minutes in 1986. |
| Doctors published an article on her progress in 1988, by which time she had essentially returned to normal. | Doctors published an article on her progress in 1988, by which time she had essentially returned to normal. |
| Three months on from the accident, Oluchi's parents are hopeful of a full recovery. They say movement is currently the main problem. | Three months on from the accident, Oluchi's parents are hopeful of a full recovery. They say movement is currently the main problem. |
| "Nevertheless she is now on her feet - she's walking, she's running, and her speech is very good," says her mother, Tayo. | "Nevertheless she is now on her feet - she's walking, she's running, and her speech is very good," says her mother, Tayo. |
| "She's all over the place. You can't keep her down." | "She's all over the place. You can't keep her down." |