Drowning is the second most common cause of accidental death in children to age four. As in Conrad's case, CPR is fortunately very successful, with 66 percent of nearly drowned children surviving. But even when resuscitated, the seconds and minutes that the brain is deprived of oxygen come at a great cost.
In a multicenter registry spanning 30 years (247 drowning patients), 71 percent who received extracorporeal life support (ECLS) and did not suffer a cardiac arrest survived to hospital discharge (compared with 57 and 23 percent who either had a cardiac arrest before ECLS or had ECLS during cardiac arrest, respectively) ...
Drowning happens very quickly, but it does take place in stages. The stages can take between 10 and 12 minutes before death occurs. If a child is drowning, it may happen much more quickly.
Lack of oxygen quickly affects organs throughout the body, including the brain and heart. And even a little water in the lungs can cause serious lung problems in the next hours or days. Your child will need to be in the hospital for testing and treatment.
Thousands of people survive drowning with no complications and sometimes they may have various degrees of brain damage from oxygen deprivation. That's why immediate rescue breaths are so vital prior to giving CPR to drowning patients.
Diagnosis. The World Health Organization in 2005 defined drowning as "the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid." This definition does not imply death or even the necessity for medical treatment after removing the cause, nor that any fluid enters the lungs.
The events that result in drowning can be divided into the following sequence: (i) struggle to keep the airway clear of the water, (ii) initial submersion and breath-holding, (iii) aspiration of water, (iv) unconsciousness, (v) cardio-respiratory arrest and (vi) death – inability to revive.
With the head still tilted, take a breath and put your mouth around the child's, to make a seal. Blow into their mouth gently and steadily for up to one second, until the chest rises. Remove your mouth and watch the chest fall. That's one rescue breath.
Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are in the water: Head low in the water, mouth at water level. Head tilted back with mouth open. Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus.
Babies and young children can drown in as little as 2 inches of water. Hundreds of children have drowned in bathtubs, garden ponds, toilets and 5-gallon buckets. Always watch toddlers when in the bathroom.
It will sink. Interestingly the corpse will likely be facing down. This is because a human torso contains a lot of air (your lungs for example), which has a lower density than water. As soon as the lungs begin to fill with water the body starts to sink.
With so-called dry drowning, water never reaches the lungs. Instead, breathing in water causes your child's vocal cords to spasm and close up. That shuts off their airways, making it hard to breathe. You would start to notice those signs right away -- it wouldn't happen out of the blue days later.
Drowning and near drowning patients have a very low rate of associated traumatic injuries. 5,7,8 Only one patient (2.4%) in our study suffered a cervical injury, which is similar to the findings of Hwang et al. 8 who found that 4.9% of drowning patients had injuries, all of which were cervical in nature.
The most important defense is to prevent the accident, but drowning still occurs. With modern cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) may be achieved but brain recovery cannot be ensured.
Dry drowning sets in less than an hour after inhaling water. But secondary drowning, which is also rare, can happen up to 48 hours after a water accident. Secondary drowning is caused by water that accumulates in the lungs.
“If your child inhales … water, watch them for 2 to 3 days to see if the child is having labored breathing, worsening cough, or fever. If that happens, make sure they are seen by a doctor because they could develop pneumonia if they [inhaled] some fluid into the lungs,” Shenoi says. General water safety is key, too.
Brain Damage Caused by Drowning
When the brain is deprived of oxygen, brain cells can begin to die within five minutes. Most drowning victims who suffer oxygen deprivation sustain permanent neurological and psychological damage. Drowning is the second most common cause of accidental death in children.
Being Under the Age of 4
Children between the ages of 1-4 years old have the highest drowning rates of anyone in America. Infants are most likely to drown in bathtubs, while older children are more likely to drown in swimming pools.
Drowning adult:
Call 999. Perform chest compressions to the time of "Staying Alive". Do not give rescue breaths. Continue compressions until help arrives.
We've all seen people flailing about and screaming while drowning on the big screen. But the reality is, someone you love could be drowning a few feet away from you and you would never know it, because it doesn't sound like anything.
During drowning, the body is deprived of oxygen, which can damage organs, particularly the brain. Doctors evaluate people for oxygen deprivation and problems that often accompany drowning (such as spinal injuries caused by diving). Treatment focuses on correcting oxygen deprivation and other problems.
The head will be tilted back and the mouth will be open as the victim attempts to breathe. They push down on the water's surface with their arms in an attempt to keep themselves above the surface to breathe. They will vertically bob in one location and not move in any direction.
Most cardiac arrests of non-cardiac origin have respiratory causes, such as drowning (among them many children) and asphyxia. Rescue breaths as well as chest compressions are critical for successful resuscitation of these victims. “Most drowning victims will have sustained cardiac arrest secondary to hypoxia.