Disasters between times: A pair of parents from Beit Shemesh experienced moments of terrifying terror while on vacation at a B&B in the north of the country.
The vacation, which began calmly and peacefully, ended with treatment in the emergency room at Hadassah Ein Kerem, after their 8-year-old daughter was sucked forcefully into the jacuzzi pump for many minutes, even though she was constantly accompanied by adults in the water.
Dr. Nurit Feinstein from the Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Hadassah Ein Kerem, says that the girl was evacuated by her parents straight from her vacation at the B&B.
"I received the girl together with Dr. Deborah Friedler, a senior physician in the department, and we heard from the father that his daughter was sucked forcefully into a jacuzzi pump while the family was on vacation at a B&B. The father actually described to us that the adults had difficulty pulling the girl's body out of the jacuzzi and had to use physical force. Since then, she has had severe pain in her upper back and for minutes she also had difficulty breathing.
He asked us to examine the mark on her back.
"On first examination, the marks on the back were large and very impressive," describes Dr. Feinstein. "In the area that was drawn to the pump, a very large hematoma appeared that covered most of the upper back, in addition to significant swelling and noticeable sensitivity to touch. A hematoma is essentially bleeding caused in the skin and subcutaneous tissue, and in this case it was definitely extensive.".
Dr. Feinstein emphasizes that the medical team's concern was that there was damage to the organs beneath the extensive hematoma.
"In light of the marks on her back, the father's description, and the strong vacuum that was applied to her body, we decided to complete additional tests to ensure that there was no further damage to the muscles, bones, and internal organs, especially the lungs, given the position and respiratory distress she experienced.".
""She was examined with a CT scan. Although the examination is usually performed on her back, this time we made sure it was performed while she was lying on her stomach to spare her additional pain, and she was of course also treated with strong painkillers. At the same time, Dr. Lior Solomon from the Department of Plastic Surgery was called in, with whom we consulted regarding the necessary skin treatment.".
"He emphasized to me that there is skin damage that may be partially irreversible and even become necrotic, and therefore follow-up at the plastic surgery clinic is necessary in a few days, and until then, a preventive antibiotic ointment should be applied to the skin area. However, it appears that there is currently no damage to internal organs, and after treatment and pain relief, the girl was discharged home and will return for follow-up at the plastic surgery clinic at Hadassah.".
The mother of an 8-year-old says: "We went on a family vacation in the north, at a B&B that included both a pool and a jacuzzi. As parents of 7 children, we always make sure to have full supervision in places like this, especially when they involve water activities. When the children got into the jacuzzi, we watched them closely. One mother got into the water with them and I watched from outside, and they had a great time in peace.".
But the relaxed vacation atmosphere was replaced within minutes by a not-so-simple event that caused panic and immense pain. "My daughter sat down next to one of the jacuzzi openings," says the mother. "We don't know the jacuzzi openings and don't understand the different systems in it, we were just enjoying the water. Suddenly she started screaming in pain, and we just saw her sitting with her back pressed against the side of the jacuzzi, her whole body in the water and her head out of the water, and we didn't understand what the problem was or what was hurting her.
We went to her immediately because she explained that she couldn't move. We tried to pull her, but her body was pulled tightly by the powerful pump of the hot tub and it was impossible to remove and detach her from it. We tried again and again, but her body was pulled in a way that made it impossible to release it and was attached to the wall of the hot tub.
""My daughter's screams of pain suddenly gave way to an apathetic look and difficulty breathing," she describes, "and that's when I really started to worry and we were all very scared. We started pressing the hot tub's shut-off buttons, but they didn't work, and it continued to work and pull the girl with a hard vacuum, while she struggled to breathe and I didn't know how long it would last. It was terrible.".
The mother explains that one of the children who was inside the hot tub apparently pulled the lid off the pump system without noticing. "There was a mesh cover on the opening that just came off. It came off without any effort or pulling and unfortunately it wasn't fixed or locked. When my daughter sat down next to the exposed opening, we didn't know that of all the hot tub openings, this opening was supposed to be covered because we don't know all the hot tub openings or the parts in it.
""When we saw that the system wasn't turned off, I called my husband, who walked around the jacuzzi and found the power cord. When he unplugged it, the pumping stopped suddenly and he immediately pulled the girl out of the water. She was stuck and dragged like that for several minutes that seemed like an eternity to me.".
"We saw the mark on her back in the suction area, and we immediately decided to fly to Hadassah Ein Kerem. Although we were staying in a B&B in the north of the country, we know Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem very well and preferred to go to a place we know and trust, even if it's far away. When we arrived, I realized we were right in our decision. I haven't encountered this attention to detail and attitude anywhere else. Really. In the emergency department, we met Dr. Nurit Feinstein, whom we know as our pediatrician. Together with a wonderful nurse and another doctor, they calmed my daughter down and treated her with great sensitivity. Thanks to them, she was calm the whole time despite the severe back pain.".
The mother says that the entire family is still very scared. "I saw my daughter suffering and struggling to breathe for long minutes, and her apathetic look was very stressful. The staff at Hadassah explained that the situation in which the body was sucked into a vacuum probably created the difficulty in breathing.
""We are such careful people," she emphasizes. "A normal time in the hot tub ended in a terrible incident, even though we were constantly supervising the children. One adult was always standing by the pool and another adult was by and in the hot tub. We did not give up close supervision, there was not even a moment when an adult was not with them and it happened before our eyes. It's amazing that despite taking all precautions - there are still risks that surprise.".
She says it's important for her to warn parents of children. "Many are going on vacation now and the jacuzzi is an attraction, but it's critical to get to know the system, including the pumping system, and to check in advance, before entering the water, if there are parts that are removable in advance and to make sure that parts cannot come apart and that the children don't touch them. It's important to prevent another incident.".
