Celt
~~~~~~~~~~
Member since 4/08 7758 total posts
Name:
colette
|
PSA for the babyproofing set: Toddler Severely Burned by Putting USB Cord in Mouth
Sometimes it's easy to overlook a real hazard, I had no idea a USB device could injure a baby so severely!!
******************************
Monday, January 11, 2010
filed under: moms are talking about
Denver Post: The family of a Longmont toddler who was seriously injured when she apparently put a USB cord dangling from a computer into her mouth, is encouraging other families to check their own homes for similar hazards.
"We just don't know what's attractive to children," said the child's grandfather, Jeff Anderson. "Take inventory of electrical cords in your house and unplug them when they aren't in use."
Sixteen-month-old Trinity Anderson was unconscious when she was rushed to Longmont United Hospital on Monday evening, after being shocked by the cord.
The USB cord for a music player was plugged into a laptop that was being charged on the floor next to the chair where her mother, Rhianna Anderson, was sitting. The music player was a Christmas gift. The laptop is less than a year old.
"Trinity crawled behind the chair her mom was in, and when her mom didn't see Trinity pop back out the other side, she looked behind the chair and saw Trinity face down," Jeff Anderson said.
Trinity suffered third-degree burns on the right side of her tongue, her upper soft and hard palate and the right part of her lip.
Because the family lives only a block from Longmont United Hospital, Rhianna Anderson made it to the emergency room with Trinity in less than a minute, Jeff Anderson said.
Rhianna Anderson is studying to be a nurse and is a certified emergency medical technician.
"What saved the child's life was quick action," Jeff Anderson said.
A medical helicopter was called to the Longmont hospital, and Trinity was flown to Children's Hospital in Denver that night.
Trinity is on a ventilator and paralytic medication and is sedated to keep her from disturbing the tube that has been breathing for her since Monday night.
Doctors hope to take out the breathing tube today, Jeff Anderson said.
"The burn team here feels her injuries will heal with some cosmetic damage, but we have no idea about her mental function," he said. "She was probably unconscious for three minutes."
The team caring for Trinity at Children's Hospital had never before seen such a case involving a USB cord, he said.
Jeff Anderson said the family is still trying to understand what happened to Trinity: "We contacted an electrical engineer who is going to put us in touch with somebody to help us figure it out."
|
