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Scientists Reverse Brain Damage in Drowned Toddler?

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Re: Scientists Reverse Brain Damage in Drowned Toddler?

#61

Post by mnw21cam »

SmellTheGlove wrote: post #52
gambiting wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it matter in any way? Is it even a fact worth observing?

Yes, it does. Lifeguards will tell you it's part of their training. It may be non-PC, but the statistics say that when you're watching the water, African-American children are more likely to drown. I don't know if it's specifically African American children, or black children (of any origin) in general. I've heard it's socioeconomic - potentially less likely to be able to swim, but I'm not sure honestly. If you're wa…

One of the things I was taught mumble years ago was that black people tend to have more dense fast twitch muscle, while white people tend to have less dense slow twitch muscle. Hence, white people float more easily, and black people dominate the 100m sprint. We did an experiment where we would cannonball the swimming pool and see who floated. Admittedly, the amount of air you have in your lungs affects your buoyancy more, but there was a difference.

Re: Scientists Reverse Brain Damage in Drowned Toddler?

#62

Post by agumonkey »

nerdponx wrote: post #2

This is approaching Star Trek levels of medicine. Congratulations to the team who discovered and pull this off, and of course my heart goes out to the family and their child. Drowning is very serious and very scary. Edit: somewhat unrelated since this girl fell into an unattended pool, but it's important to know the signs of drowning, which are not what you see in movies: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-to-spot-signs…

Also I remember a video about counter intuitive signs of drowning. People except movie drowning with screamings and arm waving but average drowning is silent, like a kid on a floater flipping up and getting stuck upside down. Almost invisible if you don't watch for it.

Re: Scientists Reverse Brain Damage in Drowned Toddler?

#63

Post by zimpenfish »

brianwawok wrote: post #42
matt4077 wrote: post #16

> was in the 5 degree Celsius water for up to 15 minutes before being discovered. as my professor used to say: If you're going to drown, drown in almost-freezing freshwater.

I get the freezing, why the freshwater? Saltwater can be a bit colder before ice, so wouldn't it be better?

I would assume osmosis would probably come into play and perhaps cause additional cell damage and rupture?

Re: Scientists Reverse Brain Damage in Drowned Toddler?

#64

Post by TallGuyShort »

sp332 wrote: post #44
toxican wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just to be pedantic, isn't referring to where we're at now as "the dark ages" equally hyperoblic?

If you've ever been in a dialysis clinic, you might see how someone from a culture that doesn't have them would view us as being in the dark ages.

For those who have no idea why a dialysis clinic makes us look like the Dark Ages - could you elaborate?

Re: Scientists Reverse Brain Damage in Drowned Toddler?

#65

Post by Sleeep »

nerdponx wrote: post #2

This is approaching Star Trek levels of medicine. Congratulations to the team who discovered and pull this off, and of course my heart goes out to the family and their child. Drowning is very serious and very scary. Edit: somewhat unrelated since this girl fell into an unattended pool, but it's important to know the signs of drowning, which are not what you see in movies: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-to-spot-signs…

Also be aware of "dry drowning," it's incredibly rare but worth knowing it exists and it's symptoms if you or anyone you are caring for has a near drowning episode.

http://www.parents.com/kids/safety/outdoor/dry-drowning/

"Any child pulled from the pool needs medical attention," says Dr. Berchelmann. "At the very least, call the pediatrician."

Re: Scientists Reverse Brain Damage in Drowned Toddler?

#66

Post by simias »

graedus wrote: post #33
gambiting wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it matter in any way? Is it even a fact worth observing?

There is a stereotype that "black people can't swim". May be local to the US.

It's not, it's a cultural thing, even in Africa. There are probably socio-economic reasons on top of that (swimming is kind of a luxury for many people).

A colleague from Senegal (who didn't know how to swim himself) told me there were biological reasons as well (bone structure or something) but I'm highly dubious of that. I can believe that genetics can play a role in swimming proficiency but I doubt that it would prevent anybody from reaching very basic swimming skill levels.

It's like saying that black people run faster than whites, looking at the olympics it appears to be true but that doesn't mean that white people fall over when we attempt a brisk stroll.

Re: Scientists Reverse Brain Damage in Drowned Toddler?

#67

Post by jobu »

ilitirit wrote: post #4

Does drowning not imply death? Is there different definition for drowning (or death) in medicine? EDIT: I'm referring to the fact that the title says the girl drowned, not that she was at some point "drowning".

"There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead." - Miracle Max (Princess Bride, 1987)

That quote is meant to be funny, but with modern medicine it's also true. The girl's heart wasn't beating for 2 hours, which meets most people's definition of dead. She was given CPR and proper treatment, so the fact that she survived is not too surprising in this day and age. What's absolutely amazing that she recovered from brain damage due to oxygen deprivation. Hopefully this isn't just a fluke.

Re: Scientists Reverse Brain Damage in Drowned Toddler?

#68

Post by Daisy45 »

zimpenfish wrote: post #59
SmellTheGlove wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, it does. Lifeguards will tell you it's part of their training. It may be non-PC, but the statistics say that when you're watching the water, African-American children are more likely to drown. I don't know if it's specifically African American children, or black children (of any origin) in general. I've heard it's socioeconomic - potentially less likely to be able to swim, but I'm not sure honestly. If you're wa…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11172054 Theorises that segregation meant many POC never learnt to swim and then their fear of drowning (along with socioeconomic factors, of course) has lead them to keeping their children away from swimming lessons.

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Re: Scientists Reverse Brain Damage in Drowned Toddler?

#69

Post by quotha »

amykhar wrote: post #38

What frustrates me is that in the United States, most insurance companies won't pay for hyperbaric oxygen treatment for traumatic brain injuries. My son, 26, was injured in a car accident last November. I would love to be able to get Oxygen therapy for him, but cannot.

Do whatever you can to get him that treatment

Re: Scientists Reverse Brain Damage in Drowned Toddler?

#70

Post by quotha »

madilonts wrote: post #35

Well, this event happens enough that it might be worth studying the benefit of oxygen therapy, but I'd be very careful about the conclusions you draw from this. Maybe the oxygen had a substantial positive effect, or maybe the child would've recovered on her own. We really don't know, since there are other reports of children who have good neurological outcome despite terrible prognosis [1] [2]. I'm suspicious because…

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