Toddler rushed to ICU, intubated for five days due to low oxygen
Posted January 12, 2022 10:03 am.
A toddler in Manitoba needed to be intubated in an intensive care unit after being hospitalized for having difficulty breathing.
Two-year-old Harvey Knox began struggling to breathe two weeks ago, as he coughed and wheezed for 24 hours.
His parents Alexa and Mike Knox took him to the hospital, where doctors determined the baby was not getting enough oxygen.
“It was really just horrifying at home getting texts like, ‘he is just getting worse, he is getting worse,’” recounted Alexa. “And every message was, ‘he is getting worse.’”
The nightmare for the Knox family began on Dec. 28. Over the course of the day, Alexa and Mike noticed Harvey’s health deteriorating.
“And it was kind of scary because he was just starting to go downhill at home really fast.”
Alexa says her husband rushed Harvey to the Children’s Hospital of Winnipeg, where medical staff gave Harvey medication and an oxygen mask to see if that would help.
It didn’t, and Harvey’s health continued to decline at a rapid rate.
“He just kept getting worse and worse, his breathing was getting worse, he was struggling to breathe a lot more and it was about two in the morning when they decided to transfer him into the pediatric ICU.”
Harvey required intubation, a life-saving procedure when someone can’t breathe on their own. The toddler spent the next five days in critical condition hooked up to the machine pumping oxygen into his body.
“And it was just a super scary time because we didn’t know what was going to happen at that point,” said Mike.
Finally, Harvey improved enough to be taken off the machine. His breathing stabilized, and eventually he was able to return home with his parents on Jan. 9.
Doctors determined Harvey didn’t have COVID-19. The issue was his asthma was exacerbated by a common cold infection, which resulted in acute respiratory problems.
Harvey’s parents say they can’t imagine what their life would be like today if the intubation machine was not available for their son in his time of need.
“Because of COVID that is generally a very realistic scenario that could have happened,” said Alexa.
Added Mike: “To not have it available would be just the scariest thought, especially with numbers climbing and the number of ICU patients increasing.”
According to Shared Health, there were 23 patients on ventilators Tuesday morning with hundreds still available for patient care. There are 96 patients currently in intensive care in Manitoba.
While Harvey’s parents say they are still a little weak from the entire experience, their baby boy is doing well, recovering, and getting stronger every day.
