VA Augusta physician saves young boy’s life

Dr. Vasu Lakkimsetti was eager to take up some cycling with his son on the trails around Augusta, Georgia. A geriatrician at Charlie Norwood VA, Lakkimsetti purchased two new bikes, only to watch them sit dormant as he waited for winter temperatures and his busy schedule to clear.

“We bought our bicycles about six months ago and we were never able to get time to get out together,” Lakkimsetti (pictured above with a Veteran) said. “We finally decided we would go and wanted to leave by 8:30, but by the time we got there, it was close to 10. And then another friend who was supposed to come got delayed as well.”

The delays, it would turn out, were fortunate.

As he and his son arrived at their destination in Columbia County, just outside Augusta, they heard frantic cries coming from a nearby swift-water creek. They ran toward the voices to learn that a 9-year-old boy had lost control of his bike, plummeting into the water. The desperate screams came from his father. Standing waist-high in frigid water, he’d been trying to locate his son for several minutes.

Augusta doctor spotted son

Lakkimsetti threw himself into the search. After moving up and down the stream with no luck, he approached a nearby waterfall, a vantage point from which he noticed a blue shoe.

“He spotted my son so that I was able to grab my son in the water after about 10 minutes of searching,” said the father, who asked to remain anonymous to protect his son’s privacy. “You can imagine how desperate I felt, but after Dr. Lakkimsetti spotted my son, my heart was filled with hope.”

Lakkimsetti jumped into the water to help the father who was near exhaustion after his panicked search in the icy cold water. Together, they pulled the boy to a nearby slab of rock. His limp body and blue lips indicated the severity of his condition.

“I think he probably fell down and got pinned under water,” said Lakkimsetti. “So, we put him on the rock and I started doing CPR.”

Father and doctor teamed up for CPR

While he directed the father to deliver some rescue breaths, Lakkimsetti stabilized the boy on the inclined rock with one hand while conducting chest compressions with the other. Eventually, the boy vomited and color began to return to his lips. By this time, Columbia County Fire Rescue arrived on the scene.

After a brief struggle lifting the boy the 10-15 feet from the water to the rescue vehicle, emergency medical personnel were able to place him on monitors, detect a heartbeat, and begin delivering rescue breaths via an Ambu Bag. He remained limp, leaving Lakkimsetti with concern as the ambulance drove off.

“I was hoping he didn’t have any major head injury or neck cervical fracture. I was just kind of praying all is fine but I was very anxious,” he said.

“Words cannot express how grateful we are.”

After a day or so of tense waiting, Lakkimsetti began receiving text updates from the father. The boy had begun to stabilize. Soon, he was breathing easily without a ventilator and making great progress. Ultimately, he experienced a full recovery.

“When we were in the hospital, Dr. Lakkimsetti showed a lot of concern for my son’s health. He frequently called and left messages and, on the day we were discharged, he came to see us,” the father said. “Without any hesitation, Dr. Lakkimsetti jumped into the water and saved my son’s life. Words cannot express how grateful we are.”

For his part, Lakkimsetti is grateful for the quarterly CPR training requirements for Augusta VA clinicians. As a staff physician who found himself rendering care “in the field,” he believes it might have proved pivotal in saving the boy’s life.

“Initially, we all kind of say, ‘Why do we have to do it every three months?’ but I think it really helped. In sharing this story, I hope it encourages people out there to learn CPR. There can’t be anything more rewarding than being able to save someone’s life.”