A Gold Coast toddler who was placed in an induced coma after a freak accident involving a Bluey cake is now breathing unaided and showing encouraging signs of recovery. Doctors have told the parents of 14-month-old Dusty Wildman that he still needs to be monitored for inflammation in his lungs, almost two weeks after he inhaled cake decorating dust that blocked his airways.
Recovery Progress
Dusty's mother, Katie Robinson, said he is beginning to regain more strength, but his voice remains very raspy. 'Our beautiful boy is awake and alert, playing and smiling,' Ms Robinson said. 'This morning he had all breathing assistance taken out and is breathing completely on his own. He just has the feeding tube in while we try and get some food in orally.'
The Incident
The ordeal started when Ms Robinson was baking a cake using a decorative gold dust powder at their home on the Gold Coast earlier this month. Dusty got hold of the powder, opened the pot with his teeth and inhaled it, triggering a medical emergency. 'When the dust is mixed with water it turns to paste - so it immediately blocked Dusty's lungs,' Rochelle said. 'He went unresponsive and she (mother Katie Robinson) called 000.'
Dusty was rushed to Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane, where doctors acted quickly to save his life. Doctors diagnosed the toddler with Chemical Pneumonitis, a serious condition caused by inhaling toxic substances. He then underwent emergency surgery to remove the powder from his lungs and was placed in an induced coma.
Safety Concerns
The incident has raised questions about labelling and safety. Doctors sent the decorative powder away for testing and discovered it contained copper and zinc compounds. Dusty's family have now warned others to check their kitchens for 'non-edible dusts'. 'He was coughing and getting really distressed and then he sort of became a bit more unresponsive,' Ms Robinson said. 'His eyes were rolling in his head and he couldn't breathe properly. It was terrifying to watch.'
'All these products look exactly the same and the fact that there are toxic, non-edible products sitting right next to edible products that do the same job, technically, is the problem.' The Metallic Rose Gold product has since been withdrawn from sale. The product's supplier has since withdrawn it from sale and instructed retailers to destroy remaining stock. As of Thursday morning, the fundraiser had raised $54,194 of its $55,000 target.
