A two-year-old girl from the Mangystau Region has been saved after ten days in intensive care, a coma, and on a ventilator following suspected contact with the venomous karakurt spider, infohub.kz reports.
According to preliminary information, while playing, another child gave the toddler a karakurt, which she may have swallowed. The girl's condition deteriorated sharply soon after.
The child was transported from a district hospital to the regional children's hospital by air ambulance. Mereke Bekbaev, head of the anesthesiology, resuscitation, and intensive care department, said that even before the child's transfer, doctors held a telemedicine consultation with district colleagues and discussed further treatment tactics.
Given the severity of the condition, medics decided to administer anti-karakurt serum and urgently transport the patient to the regional center. The girl was transported on a ventilator accompanied by a resuscitation team.
On admission, the child's condition was assessed as extremely serious. The girl was in a first-degree coma. Doctors immediately began intensive therapy, held a consultation, and arranged additional consultations with national specialists. During treatment, anti-karakurt serum was administered twice.
The toddler spent ten days in intensive care. Throughout this time, doctors and nurses monitored her condition around the clock and adjusted treatment. Gradually, positive changes appeared: the girl came out of the coma, began breathing on her own, and was taken off the ventilator.
After her condition stabilized, the patient was transferred to a specialized department, where she spent another four days. The girl was then discharged home in satisfactory condition.
"Behind the child's rescue is the enormous work of the entire medical team. Doctors at the district hospital promptly assessed the severity of the condition and organized assistance, the air ambulance team ensured safe transportation, and our resuscitators Mereke Bekbaev, Gulaiym Dzhanova, Amangeldi Duisenbek, Zamanbek Aitmuratov, Zhandos Nurlykhani, and nurses fought around the clock for the girl's life. Everyone contributed to ensuring the child could return home," said Mereke Bekbaev, head of the resuscitation department.