ABU DHABI, 3rd May, 2023 (WAM) — A grade five student who suffered a cardiac arrest at the swimming pool has been treated for a rare congenital heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome.
After the incident at the pool, 11-year-old Leonardo Osorio McGeehan suffered another cardiac arrest that led to the diagnosis. The Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) provided by his mother and the timely assistance from others nearby helped save the boy’s life. The mother had undergone CPR training as part of her job as a physical therapist in the UK.
“We were tossing a ball in the pool when my son said he was not feeling well and started going under the water. With the help of my daughter and a couple at the pool, we got him out of the water. He was struggling to breathe, and his eyes were rolling back. It seemed like he was having a seizure. I immediately started performing CPR,” said Martina McGeehan.
After the paramedics took over CPR from the mother, they used the defibrillator to shock him and stabilise his airway on the way to the hospital. Martina was escorted to the hospital by the police. Leonardo was shifted to the ICU and intubated.
Further investigations revealed Leonardo had a congenital heart defect called Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, caused by an abnormality in the heart's electrical pathways. He was then shifted to Burjeel Medical City to be treated by Dr. Christopher Duke, Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist.
Dr. Duke said, “Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome is a fairly rare disorder that affects 1-3 in 1,000 people worldwide. In simple terms, the patient had an extra piece of muscle inside his heart that caused abnormal electricity. Children with this syndrome usually present with palpitations, and it is very rare for such patients to suffer a cardiac arrest.
"In my career spanning over 20 years, this is only the second case I have seen where a patient with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome suffered a cardiac arrest. We decided to perform a pediatric radiofrequency ablation to treat the condition,” said Dr. Duke.