Naples, scare at McDonald's: one-year-old girl not breathing, saved by 118 nurse

Naples – Moments of great fear today for a one-year-old girl who suffered a severe airway obstruction while inside the McDonald's in the Galleria Umberto in Naples.

The 118 emergency service was called at 1:18 PM. The call concerned a little girl who was no longer breathing. The Scampia emergency crew arrived on the scene just three minutes later, at 1:21 PM.

The situation is dramatic: the little girl is handed over to the rescuers unconscious and not breathing.
Two cycles of maneuvers and the little girl can breathe again

At that point, speed of intervention becomes crucial. Nurse Regina Esposito immediately takes the child, positions her correctly on her legs, and begins the maneuvers to clear the airway.

These are tense moments. After two cycles, the signal everyone was waiting for arrives: the little girl starts coughing and breathing again.

An immediate and technically correct response that allows us to overcome the most critical phase and stabilize the little one.

The San Gennaro ambulance motorcycle and medical car also arrived on site, assisting the crew in the subsequent phases of the intervention.

The transfer to Santobono

Once stabilized, the child was transported to Santobono Pediatric Hospital, where she arrived in hemodynamically stable condition for the necessary tests and treatment.

The tension that had built up in the preceding minutes dissolves when the little girl begins to breathe again. A spontaneous burst of applause erupts among those present, the most immediate way to mark a moment that, until moments before, seemed poised to turn tragic.

Knowing how to do the maneuver can save a life

The episode brings a fundamental theme back to the forefront: in the event of an airway obstruction, knowing what to do in the first few moments can be crucial.

When a person, especially a young child, is unable to breathe, every second counts. Pediatric airway clearance procedures, however, must be performed correctly and appropriately for the child's age: improvising or intervening incorrectly can be dangerous.

For this reason, training in first aid and clearing obstructions should be as widespread as possible among parents, family members, teachers, food service workers, and, more generally, anyone who comes into contact with children on a daily basis.

The professionalism of 118

The speed of arrival on site, the crew's preparation, and the ability to respond immediately to a very serious emergency were crucial in this incident.

The protagonists of the rescue were Regina Esposito, a 118 nurse, and Luciano Di Pasqua, a driver and ambulance driver, along with the other operators who intervened with a medical motorbike and medical car.

A few minutes, a timely maneuver, and the expertise of those called upon to deal with extreme situations every day. This time, the outcome was what everyone hoped for: a one-year-old girl was able to breathe again.