A family vacation to Mexico turned tragic when a three-year-old girl suffered severe injuries after a pool drain at an upscale resort ripped out her small intestine. Paloma Velez Quatrini, from Pittsburgh, was playing in a shallow baby pool on the final day of her family's trip when the grate covering the drain became loose, trapping her with intense suction.
Her father, Adam Quatrini, described the baby pool as 'the last place' he expected danger. He tried to pull her up but the pressure was too strong. It took about two minutes to shut off the pool, after which doctors initially thought Paloma had an anal prolapse. However, during surgery, the surgeon discovered her small intestine was missing.
Paloma was flown to UPMC Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, where pediatric transplant surgeon Dr. Geoffrey Bond performed seven operations over two and a half months. He connected her colon to the remaining small bowel, but she lost most of her small intestine. She now requires nightly intravenous feeding through a catheter.
Her mother, Carolina Velez, said the family has been in 'survival mode' for the past year. The parents urge others to inspect pool drain covers and know the location of emergency shut-off buttons, as similar incidents have been fatal, including the 2008 death of six-year-old Abigail Taylor in Minnesota.
