A 4-year-old boy gets stabbed with METAL STRAW: When the object pierced through the child’s tongue and perforated a major artery, it severed the blood flow to his brain.
In June, Charlie DeFraia was drinking yogurt via a straw on the veranda of his house in East Moriches, a hamlet located on the eastern end of Long Island.
Unfortunately, DeFraia lost his balance and fell off the porch, causing the metal straw to penetrate his tongue and esophagus.
DeFraia’s carotid artery, which supplies oxygen and blood to the brain, was perforated by the straw.
Fortunately, Charles, Charlie’s father, is a specialist in internal medicine and instantly understood the danger his son was in.
Less than one mile away, the DeFraias transported their kid to Stony Brook University Hospital.
There, after it was determined that Charlie was impaled by a piece of straw, doctors were able to undertake surgery to save his life.
Charlie is slated to join kindergarten beginning next week
A 4-year-old New York child is thankful after a metal straw pierced an artery in his neck due to a rare event.
In June, Charlie DeFraia was drinking yogurt through a straw on the veranda of his house in East Moriches, a hamlet on the easternmost tip of Long Island.
Unfortunately, DeFraia lost his balance and tumbled off the porch, causing the eco-friendly alternative to enter his neck via his tongue.
DeFraia’s carotid artery, which supplies oxygen and blood to the brain, was perforated by the straw.
When Charlie’s 8-year-old sister Madison cried, Crystal DeFraia, Charlie’s mother, went to her son.
A 4-year-old New York child is thankful after an accident caused a metal straw to pierce an artery in his neck.
In June, Charlie DeFraia (shown in the middle) was drinking yogurt via a straw on the porch of his house in East Moriches, a hamlet on the eastern end of Long Island.
Unfortunately, DeFraia lost his balance and fell off the porch, causing the metal straw to penetrate his tongue and esophagus.
After coming out of a medically-induced coma, Charlie DeFraia recovered rapidly.
DeFraia’s carotid artery, which supplies oxygen and blood to the brain, was perforated by the straw.
She said to Today, “I only saw blood on his face.” I believed he had injured his nose, lip, or tongue. I never expected that it would be as severe as it was.
Charles, the father of Charlie, is a doctor of internal medicine who quickly saw the danger his son was in.
Charles said, ‘It was clear that he was losing a significant quantity of blood, and he stopped breathing on me a few times. Protecting his airway was the only thing I could do at that moment.’
Crystal said that she believed her son was dying in front of her eyes.
Less than one mile away, the DeFraias transported their kid to Stony Brook University Hospital.
Crystal DeFraia (shown on the right) said that she believed she was seeing her son’s death.
Dr. David Fiorella was a member of the medical team who saved Charlie’s life.
Doctors opined that Charlie may have died if he had been exposed to a metal straw for a further five minutes and recommend that metal straws be banned from usage by children.
Dr. Richard Scriven, the head of pediatric trauma at the hospital’s trauma unit, noted that Charlie had ‘no detectable blood pressure’ and that he had been a surgeon for more than 30 years.
No one could determine the reason of the bleeding until Charlie’s mother mentioned the straw in his drink, to which Scriven said, ‘sadly, that makes perfect sense.’
Crystal, who uploads images of her CrossFit activities online, may have saved her son’s life when the cause was uncovered.
Dr. David Fiorella, director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular Center, said that Charlie’s stent transplant would construct a completely new carotid artery inside the old one.
In addition to stopping and sealing up the bleeding, normal blood flow was also restored to the right side of Charlie’s brain, he said.
Scriven said that Fiorella was instrumental in rescuing Charlie since he is a “catheter magician.”
Dr. David Fiorella, director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular Center, said that the stent transplant would build a whole new carotid artery inside the damaged one.
Charlie was placed in a medically-induced coma for a week, but was discharged from the hospital in July and will begin kindergarten the following week.
Crystal, who publishes images of her CrossFit activities, may have saved her son’s life when the cause was uncovered.
Charlie was placed in a medically-induced coma for a week, but was discharged from the hospital in July and will begin kindergarten the following week.
Scriven suggests that a further five minutes may have resulted in Charlie’s death and suggests that metal straws should be eliminated or prevented from being used by children. In several areas of New York, single-use plastic straws are prohibited.
Dr. David Chesler, director of pediatric neurosurgery, said that it is uncertain what lasting impact Charlie’s brain damage would have.
But Chesler continued, ‘Children of his age have an incredible capacity to heal from this kind of injury, while adults just cannot. It is unfathomable what they can endure and recover from.