Baby Leokadia back home with her parents after suffering 3 respiratory arrests at 3 days old

On 10 April 2012 Hampshire residents Beata and Andrzej Kolon dialled 999 for their 3 day old daughter Leokadia who was experiencing breathing difficulties. During the call to South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust's (SCAS) Emergency Operations Centre in Bicester little Leokadia went into respiratory arrest. Quick thinking Emergency Call Taker Shabina Akhtar gave effective and excellent CPR instructions to Leokadia's parents and their baby began to breathe again as an ambulance resource was en route to their home in Chandlers Ford.

Little Leokadia again went into respiratory arrest at the scene.

SCAS Emergency Care Practitioner Andi Parker continues the story:

'I administered oxygen and a very blue baby became well perfused and was alert and pink when transferred to the care of an ambulance crew from the Trust's Nursling Resource Centre.'

One of the two Ambulance Technicians involved in conveying baby Leokadia to Hospital said:

'En route to hospital Leokadia experienced another respiratory arrest. I put an emergency pre- alert through to Southampton General Hospital via our Emergency Operations Centre to ensure that we were met by the necessary team in Resus.'

Leokadia subsequently spent 3 days on the High Dependency Unit at Southampton General Hospital before being discharged and is now happily back home with her grateful parents Beata and Andrzej Kolon who said:

'We are absolutely amazed with the support we were provided with by the NHS beginning with the labour ward in Winchester, continuing three days later with the lady who took our 999 call and instructed us on CPR, the ambulance crews who attended Leokadia, the High Dependency Unit at Southampton General Hospital and lastly with the midwife care we received in Southampton and Chandlers Ford.

'We want you to tell Leokadia's story as we, more than most, now understand how important it is to spread the knowledge about CPR amongst other parents.'

Emergency Care Practitioner Andi Parker expressed how he and his colleagues in SCAS felt about Leokadia's recovery when he said:

'I am delighted that Leokadia is now making a speedy recovery at home and thank her parents for their kind words about the treatment she received from SCAS and the wider NHS in the South Central Region.'

Published 30 April 2012