Sunday

Canadian Infant Rescued from Sub-Zero Temperatures

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: We have been telling you earlier this evening of extreme weather. Now the story of a 13-month-old toddler who survived after wandering out into the snow and becoming trapped.

With details of her miraculous survival, here's Tobias Fisher (ph) now of Canada's CTV News.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOBIAS FISHER, CTV NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These tiny footprints in the snow mark the path of a near tragedy. A 13-month- old girl wearing only a diaper wandered out of this Edmonton house in the middle of that night. The baby may have been lying in the snow in minus-20 degrees for several hours before she was found by her frantic mother.

ANGIE WEAVER, NEIGHBOR: There were sirens going and everything down here.

FISHER: By the time she reached hospital, the baby's core body temperature had dropped to 16 degrees. Normal is 37. Parts of her body were frozen stiff and she had no vital signs.

DR. ALLAN DE CAEN, PEDIATRICIAN: She didn't have a pulse and she wasn't breathing.

FISHER: A team of doctors desperately tried to revive the toddler using special equipment.

DE CAEN: What happens is there's a device that's called a bear hugger which is a basically it's a machine that blows warm air through a special fabric blanket that lie on top of the child...

FISHER: After 90 minutes, doctors detected a heartbeat. Two hours later, the little girl opened her eyes.

DE CAEN: This young lady was resuscitated without going on the heart-lung machine successfully at a temperature that I'm not sure if that's been done in children before.

FISHER: Police believe the girl left her mother's bed unnoticed and slipped out an unlatched back door. Officials say it looks like an accident. JERRY BELLIKKA, CHILDREN'S SERVICE: Normally, in situations like this we become involved because people automatically ask questions as to whether or not there was some neglect or abuse. There doesn't appear to have been any in this case.

FISHER: While doctors say the little girl is very lucky to be alive, she is not out of danger. They don't know yet if she has suffered brain damage or whether her frostbite will require skin grafts, even amputation.

Tobias Fisher, CTV News, Calgary.

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