A baby girl was left fighting for her life after eating eggs that had been cooked in the same bowl used to prepare the horse tranquilliser drug ketamine.

The 10-month-old girl, her brother and grandmother were all found unresponsive at their home in Indiana by another member of the family and taken to hospital.

The baby was found struggling to breathe and taken to the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

Scans revealed the girl had severe swelling in the brain and was rushed into emergency surgery to drain the fluid. She spent six days in a coma on a life support machine.

Her brother and grandmother were revived at hospital.

Doctors initially believed the family had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning, but tests confirmed they had ketamine poisoning - most likely after eating from bowls used to prepare the recreational party drug.

The child had vomited after eating eggs from a contaminated dish and then fell asleep, according to the report in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.

She suffered permanent damage to an area of the brain that controls muscles, but doctors confirmed this was not causing visible problems.

Medics said the child had recovered remarkably well and was meeting all her developmental milestones as expected for her age.

Dr Daniel H Fulkerson, the author of the case report, said: “We are very excited that the child has recovered well following this life-threatening event.

“Unfortunately, we fear that cases like this will continue to occur, as we have seen a dangerous rise in drug use in our state and in the nation.

“Innocent kids are often affected. We hope this case shines some light on this particular exposure and helps other medical facilities recognise these unique findings.”

Ketamine is a powerful anaesthetic used to sedate horses, but the side effects of euphoria, detachment and relaxation have made it a popular party drug.