Little girl dies from the Flu, Even after getting vaccine

blueberries

Fri, Jan 30 2015, 9:37 am

A Las Vegas kindergartner who died days after coming down with the flu felt well enough to play outside 24 hours before she collapsed, her father told ABC News.

Kiera Driscoll, 5, had a slight fever on Sunday morning, but she seemed to be feeling better after taking some children's ibuprofen, said her father, Patrick Driscoll.

"In fact, she was playing outside that afternoon with my wife and even made a comment that it was 'the most fun time ever,'" Driscoll said

But then Kiera's slight fever returned and her cough worsened and included phlegm, Driscoll said. At about 4 a.m., her parents gave her medicine to help expand her airways by way of an albuterol nebulizer. She didn't have asthma but occasionally had a barking cough as a baby, Driscoll said. Afterward, he stayed up with her watching cartoons until she fell asleep again at 8 a.m.

That morning, the Driscolls took her to an urgent care center, where she got another albuterol treatment and was given a steroid to help her breathe, Driscoll said. He went to work, and his wife stayed home to take care of Kiera.

Kiera's mother tucked her into bed a few hours later for a nap, and turned away to turn on a vaporizer when Kiera said, "I can't breathe. It's hard to breathe," Driscoll said. Then, the little girl collapsed and passed out.

Kiera's mother is trained in CPR and jumped into action, clearing Kiera's airways, performing rescue breathing and calling 911, Driscoll said. Kiera's pulse went away and came back in the emergency room. But her brain wave activity diminished, Driscoll said, and she developed an irregular heart beat and went into cardiac arrest. She died the following day, on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

"Their working diagnosis was that a mucus plug of thick mucus got coughed up and clogged, lodged in her trachea, preventing her from being able to breathe," Driscoll said.

The little girl's elementary school celebrated her life last week by dressing in purple, releasing purple balloons and eating frozen yogurt, according to KNTV, ABC's affiliate in Las Vegas. "Frozen" was Kiera's favorite movie, and a stuffed Olaf doll sat in her seat at school after her death, according to the station.

Laurel Beckstead, the headmaster of the American Heritage Academy, where Kiera went to school, told KNTV the death was shocking. Beckstead is also Kiera's aunt.

"She went home happy, healthy, and then to get a phone call that Monday that she had gone to Quick Care Monday morning, released and went home and then later collapsed, was almost a shocking disbelief," Beckstead told the station. "How can this be happening to Kiera?"

As of the week ending Jan. 17, 56 pediatric flu-related deaths had been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kiera's official cause of death was that she went into cardiac arrest after coming down with influenza A and pneumonia, according to the Clark County coroner's office in Nevada, which did not examine her body after her death.

Dr. Frank Esper, a pediatric infectious disease physician at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, said death's like Kiera's can be confusing, and some states require autopsies when the explanation is unclear. He said it's important to remember that influenza can cause death, especially in people with underlying lung and heart conditions -- which may not be diagnosed. People at risk for complications, including young children, pregnant women, people with asthma, and the elderly, should contact their physician at the first sign of flu, he said. They may be prescribed antiviral medications to shorten their illness and prevent it from worsening.

"Though Kiera's passing has shattered the world her birth created for me, the joy of raising her was worth it," Driscoll said of his daughter at her funeral. He shared the eulogy on a fundraising page set up for Kiera to express his gratitude for the love and support his family received

Driscoll told ABC News that Kiera got a flu shot, and they still want other parents to vaccinate their children.

"Vaccines help save lives, and they help keep other people from getting infected as well," he said. "We always want people to be vaccinated."

He said his family has taken comfort in the fact that his wife knew CPR and did everything she could. And he knows he'll see his little girl again someday, he said.

"If there's something we can say to someone going through something similar," he said. "Hold on to your faith. Rely on family and community, and never take a moment for granted."

http://news.yahoo.com/5-old-gi......html

youngishbear

Fri, Jan 30 2015, 9:40 am

So sad. I read that the flu this season is especially deadly.

southernbubby

Fri, Jan 30 2015, 9:42 am

I would think that had they not vaccinated, they would live with guilt for the rest of their lives. The vaccination for flu this year prevented 26% of pediatric cases under age 12 so at least the parents did all that was in their power.

gp2.0

Fri, Jan 30 2015, 9:43 am

This is so sad. Crying

Notsobusy

Fri, Jan 30 2015, 9:48 am

southernbubby wrote:

Very true. The father also said that they were comforted by the fact that the mother knew CPR, so they really did all that they could to prevent this/save her life.

greenfire

Fri, Jan 30 2015, 9:59 am

I think many people are unaware that albuteral can cause rapid heart rate ... I wonder if that had something to do with the deadly repercussions ...

I feel sad so many little girls are dying from one day to the next from sudden illness

MiracleMama

Fri, Jan 30 2015, 10:19 am

greenfire wrote:

I think many people are unaware that albuteral can cause rapid heart rate ... I wonder if that had something to do with the deadly repercussions ...

I took those inhalers as a kid with asthma, and they definitely get your heart racing, and certainly can cause problems if abused (or I assume also if there is an unknown existing heart condition) but in the article it claimed that it was her airway being blocked by mucous, so doesn't seem related.

Very sad story.

Frumdoc

Fri, Jan 30 2015, 10:51 am

greenfire wrote:

She had an irregular heart beat after being resuscitated from a respiratory arrest, which causes damage to the heart and brain. Abnormal heart rhythms are almost inevitable during and after an episode like this, as part of the way the body is affected by the damage lack of oxygen and not breathing does to it. Plus adrenaline, given as part of the resuscitation protocol, also causes abnormal heart beats. Abnormal heart rhythms are a common thing in these circumstances.

So it is extremely unlikely to be anything to do with albuterol even if she had been given it some time before she stopped breathing.

Do you think that someone reading this might decide that it was the albuterol as you suggest, and then not give it to their child when she is wheezing, and then that child might have a severe asthma attack and stop breathing, and your speculation has contributed to that?

seeker

Fri, Jan 30 2015, 11:25 am

From the article, it sounded like the death was more of a real freak thing (mucous plug blocking airway?! H"Y!) which does not seem related to the albuterol. I did think it sounded weird that the parents seemed to give it with no mention of asking a doctor, it is a prescription drug, but still highly doubt it had anything to do with this, kids take it all the time in larger amounts for asthma and such and harmful effects are not common in those cases as far as I know. The racing heart side effect is scary but generally not dangerous or even alarming - we've had Hatzolah over here many times due to my child's breathing and other related issues and the only time they even paid attention to her fast breathing/heartrate was when I told them we had NOT used albuterol - I.e. the quick rate itself wasn't as much of a concern as what might be causing it; they were worried because it could be caused by C"V dangerous conditions but as an occasional symptom/side effect it is not generally an issue. This is a real freak incident and an example of Hashem deciding when to give and take each life. Good for mom for being prepared with CPR; I should take a refresher course myself, we all should (whoever didn't already). At least know you've done everything you can and then you won't have to live with guilt over thoughtless strangers' internet musings.

bookie

Fri, Jan 30 2015, 11:32 am

[quote="seeker"]This is a real freak incident and an example of Hashem deciding when to give and take each life.

This. It has nothing to do with whether or not she took the flu shot. Hashem decided to take her life that is all. Every bullet has an address. She choked on her phlegm bec it was her time to go.

greenfire

Fri, Jan 30 2015, 12:02 pm

Frumdoc wrote:

Do you think that someone reading this might decide that it was the albuterol as you suggest, and then not give it to their child when she is wheezing, and then that child might have a severe asthma attack and stop breathing, and your speculation has contributed to that?

omg my daughter has asthma and this is something I noticed ... just a warning to keep an eye and ear out for irregular heart rates ... and possibly needing an emergency room

of course we cannot save everyone - whether this was why the little girl died or because of choking on her phlegm is irrelevant - because other people have phlegm too - am I causing them to stop caring for the sick ...

really - I was saying this based on the news article I read