Dry Drowning... a Hidden Danger

[katie0128]

A friend sent this email to me today and I thought I should pass it along... And to think, it could happen from a simple bath as well.



The tragic death of a South Carolina 10-year-old more than an hour after he had gone swimming has focused a spotlight on the little-known phenomenon called 'dry drowning' - and warning signs that every parent should be aware of.


10-year-old died more than an hour after getting out of swimming pool

 

[krzymomof4]

That's scary!!

 

[janetupnorth]

That is EXACTLY why we train EVERY lifeguard to call EMS and send every child in that has a near-drowning case. It is rare, but can happen. Understand this is "different" than just swallowing water...Below clarification is somewhat correct, I am referring to "delayed drowning" however, dry drowning is described medically as having fluid in the lungs, just in a smaller amount. It is drowning without immersion in the water.

 

[mpkegley]

I saw this on the Today Show and it is so sad! I didn't know anything like this could happen.

 

[janetupnorth]

For those interested, it occurs mainly with those with respiratory difficulties like asthma or something else. I'm guessing this kid had something of the sort, possible untreated.See below...LaryngospasmIn medicine, laryngospasm is an uncontrolled/involuntary muscular contraction (spasm) of the laryngeal cords. The condition typically lasts less than 30 or 60 seconds, and causes a partial blocking of breathing in, while breathing out remains easier. It may be triggered when the vocal cords or the area of the trachea below the cords detects the entry of water, mucus, blood, or other substance. It is characterized by stridor and or retractions. Some people suffer from frequent laryngospasms, whether awake or asleep. In an ear, nose and throat practice, it is typically seen in people who have silent reflux disease. It is also a well known, infrequent, but serious post-surgery complication.When this happens in water, fluid gets in the lungs...

 

[KellyTheChef]

Oh dear Lord...you never know when something like this is gonna happen. I feel so bad for their family!

http://women.evenhealth.com

 

[raebates]

How sad. Like so many others, I'd never heard of such a thing.

 

[KateD]

The story and risk is real, but dry drowning is something else - when someone dies of drowning but NO water gets in the lungs. Dry drowning does account for 10-15% of drowning deaths, but the delayed drowning is much more uncommon. [Johnny died of delayed drowning. Water was in the lungs, but he didn't drown for a while.]More at Urban Legends Reference Pages.

The primary difference between dry drowning and secondary (or delayed) drowning is the presence or absence of water in the victim's lungs. In Jon Jon Jackson's case, he died with water in his lungs, so his death was more typical of "ordinary" drowning victims (i.e., water in the lungs prevented those organs from transporting oxygen into the bloodstream) even though he lived for a couple of hours after leaving the pool. By contrast, true dry drowning deaths do not involve the presence of liquid in the lungs.

 

[katie0128]

Thanks for the clarification! Either type of drowning is still scary!

 

[KateD]

Thanks for the clarification! Either type of drowning is still scary!

No kidding! I am already a nervous nellie, but just realizing how many drowning deaths there are makes me want to sponge bathe the kids!!!

 

[ragschef]

My 4yo went swimming wednesday with her preschool class on campus. 38 kids, 6 teachers and 2 lifeguards were still not enough for me to not have apanic attack, even with the xanex!!! My DH was there too and hadn't heard of the dry drowning and then began to tell me that she fell in the pool face first and was screaming and coughing when she came up! I watched her like a HAWK all night long! I was so tired on Thursday...

These cases are so scary.

 

[lacychef]

I saw this story on the news last week; very scary! I never would have thought that could happen.

 

[janetupnorth]

Thanks for the clarification! Either type of drowning is still scary!

Actually that is still just partially true. Medically dry drowning is drowning without immersion in water...delayed effects of small amounts of water in the lungs and resulting in the laryngospasms I mentioned above is considered dry drowning.

Also, ARDS is considered a form of dry drowning where aspirated water is absorbed into the blood.

Dry drowning is very rare though so please don't take away the enjoyment of baths and water from your children, just be responsible parents! If they do go under and swallow large amounts of water, have them checked out.

 

[janetupnorth]

My 4yo went swimming wednesday with her preschool class on campus. 38 kids, 6 teachers and 2 lifeguards were still not enough for me to not have apanic attack, even with the xanex!!! My DH was there too and hadn't heard of the dry drowning and then began to tell me that she fell in the pool face first and was screaming and coughing when she came up! I watched her like a HAWK all night long! I was so tired on Thursday...These cases are so scary.

As a lifeguard and lifeguard instructor, that is way too many preschool kids to watch! Yikes! I hope the water was VERY shallow. I hope she had fun though!

 

[katie0128]

Actually that is still just partially true. Medically dry drowning is drowning without immersion in water...delayed effects of small amounts of water in the lungs and resulting in the laryngospasms I mentioned above is considered dry drowning.

Also, ARDS is considered a form of dry drowning where aspirated water is absorbed into the blood.

Dry drowning is very rare though so please don't take away the enjoyment of baths and water from your children, just be responsible parents! If they do go under and swallow large amounts of water, have them checked out.

Interesting! I didn't know ARDS was considered dry drowning. We had a run-in with ARDS a few years ago. Mom had a video assisted something-ectomy done ago to remove a mass on her lung. The mass ended up being much larger than the surgeon thought and he ended up removing part of the lower lobe of her right lung. Recovery went well and she was moved into her room. Then about 2a the next morning, the RN on duty called me (mom and dad are divorced and in scary situations, I'm the most responsible of the siblings) to tell me mom was being moved to ICU because she was going into ARDS... not the type of phone call you want to get about your mom at 2a. Apparently she didn't really like the O2 mask, because in her sleep she kept moving it to her forehead. The RN's that took care of her said she was a great patient when she was awake, but was a royal pain in the tooshie when she was sleeping... moving O2 masks, screwing up her PDA and chest tube... just to name a few. They ended up having to keep her in ICU for 3 days until she would quit the nighttime annoyances. The really ironic part of this is that mom is a RN of over 34 years and has been a CCRN for about 22!!

 

[c00p]

I have never heard of anything like this. How completely horrible. I would never even think that something like this could even happen. It's just awful.

 

[KateD]

...Dry drowning is very rare though so please don't take away the enjoyment of baths and water from your children, just be responsible parents! ...

Oh, it crosses my mind, but I would no sooner actually cut them out than I would sell my children to the gypsies (no matter how many times a day I threaten it! )

Although for my oldest DD there is no "enjoyment" of baths and water - it's a screamfest!