60% burns, cardiac arrest after fall into hot liquid: How advanced critical care helped 3-year-old in Pune recover

What began as a normal day for three-year-old Hardik Rathod from Thergaon in Pune turned into a terrifying ordeal for his family. While playing at home the child accidentally fell into a container with hot tamarind liquid that his father Vishal Rathod was preparing for the Chaat Centre. He suffered nearly 60 per cent burn injuries and developed cardiac arrest.

“It was just a matter of seconds. Before I could run towards my son, he had accidentally fallen into the container. I had kept it down on the floor for cooling. Watching my boy in excruciating pain and fighting to survive was a nightmare,” Vishaal told The Indian Express.

However a coordinated effort led by Dr. Milind M. Jambagi, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) team, and Dr Shrikant Pingale, Plastic Surgeon at Ankura Hospital for Women and Children, helped the critically injured child overcome multiple life-threatening complications due to burns, including shock, cardiac arrest, and respiratory failure, ultimately leading to a successful recovery after more than 40 days of intensive treatment.

Dr Jambagi who is also the Chairperson, Education Committee, World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies, Geneva said that the child had sustained severe burns involving nearly 60% of his body and had already suffered a cardiac arrest before being referred to Ankura hospital.

“Such extensive burn injuries can affect multiple organs and increase the risk of severe infection, shock, breathing difficulties and other life-threatening complications apart from long-term disabilities. Our immediate focus was to stabilize his condition, support his vital organs, control pain, prevent infections, and initiate advanced wound care. He underwent comprehensive treatment that included respiratory support, strict infection control measures, nutritional rehabilitation, repeated burn wound dressings, collagen dressings, debridement procedures and intensive rehabilitation. Throughout his prolonged hospital stay, a multidisciplinary team worked around the clock to monitor his progress and address every aspect of his recovery. Cases like these require constant vigilance, as even minor setbacks can quickly become life-threatening in severely burned children,” Dr Jambagi said.

Dr Shrikant Pingale, Consultant Plastic Surgeon pointed out that due to the quality of care the child never got any infection throughout his hospital stay. “This was possible due to the regular wound care, dressing, highly specialised and protocolised care given at the PICU at Ankura Hospital. He was eventually discharged in a stable condition on May 11,” he said.

The three-year-old is currently being followed up on an OPD basis for continued recovery and rehabilitation and is off any medications , according to the doctors.

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“Severe burn injuries in children can be devastating not only physically but also emotionally for families. This case highlights the importance of early first aid, timely referral to specialized pediatric critical care centers, strict infection control, nutritional support and coordinated multidisciplinary management,” Dr Jambagi said.

While Vishal was able to muster funds for the treatment via crowd funding and the hospital’s support, watching his son slowly recover, start eating again and smile once, he said, feels nothing short of a miracle.