Medical experts and law enforcement officials are contending with what some are calling a “miracle” in which a young child, declared dead after drowning, began exhibiting signs of life almost five hours later.
The Incident
The emergency erupted on Feb. 8 in Gilbert, Arizona, when the Gilbert Police Department (GPD) responded to a 5:35 PM call about a child who had drowned in a backyard pool. First responders first performed CPR on-site before quickly taking the child to a nearby hospital. After extensive lifesaving efforts, doctors announced the child dead at 6:20 PM.
A Shocking Turn of Events
The story took an unforgettable twist at around 11:30 PM five hours and ten minutes after death was first declared — when GPD was informed of signs of life. The child was quickly transferred to a special pediatric institution for intensive care. As currently reported, the child is responding well to therapy.
Medical Experts Seek Answers
The case has shocked the medical profession. Dr. Frank LoVecchio, an emergency medicine doctor, said the recovery is “absolutely a miracle,” but a lesson that healthcare providers should be “overly sensitive” after death pronouncements, especially in cold-water drowning. “You want to be 100 percent certain verify that the temperature was good, that there was no heartbeat, no motion, no blood pressure,” Dr. LoVecchio told AZFamily. He said the child's low body temperature might have caused a pulse so faint that it was not detectable by conventional methods.
Ongoing Investigation
Although the child’s identity is not known now, an official investigation will establish what transpired between the announcement of 6:20 PM and the discovery of vitals late in the night. It isn’t established if the child was moved to a morgue during those hours.
