Dry Drowning

Dry drowning is something that most of us won't have the slightest idea about but it's got into the news just recently. Dry drowning is when someone drowns as a result of damage to hte lunds but long after they've actually come out of the water that caused saud damage.

Dry drowning is back in the news because of the case of Johnny Jackson:

Boy’s death highlights a hidden danger: Dry drowning According to the Centers for Disease Control, some 3,600 people drowned in 2005, the most recent year for which there are statistics. Some 10 to 15 percent of those deaths was classified as “dry drowning,” which can occur up to 24 hours after a small amount of water gets into the lungs. In children, that can happen during a bath.

Rauch said that the phenomenon of dry drowning is not completely understood. But medical researchers say that in some people, a small amount of inhaled water can have a delayed-reaction effect.

So remember, just because someone has got out of the water OK it doesn't mean that they're not still at risk from dry drowning.

In the past two days there has been two reports of Dry Drowning cases with very sad endings and parents with child care providers are warned to be watchful for the risks of dry drowning particularly during summer when unfortunately drowning cases are on the rise. There is disturbing story about an unusual drowning case in South Carolina. A 10-year old child drowned near Charleston last weekend. Experts say that about 10 to 15 percent of drowning victims experience what is called "dry drowning," caused by an involuntary laryngospasm reflex. There is another report of Dry Drowning coming from Missouri. "In medical terms, drowning is death by suffocation from submersion. In the aquatics profession we look to the national training agencies for a definition. The YMCA of the United States defines drowning as "asphyxiation due to blockage of the trachea, usually by water, causing respiratory arrest." The central idea is that drowning is a respiratory emergency caused by a fluid that blocks the breathing passage in one of two ways, wet drownings and dry drownings. In wet drownings, there is water in the victim's lungs that limit the body's ability to exchange gases and provide oxygen to the blood. It is also possible that water can be drawn into the bloodstream through the lung's alveoli, the tiny sacs that exchange gases in the small blood vessels of the lungs. This dilution can cause an electrolyte imbalance in the body which can bring on fibrillation in the heart, according to the YMCA," writes Ron Shaw from Northern Illinois University Libraries. He goes on writing that "Dry drownings are rare, accounting for at most 20 percent of all cases. One of the medical examiners I spoke with said that he had never encountered one. For a lifeguard there is little difference in the water rescue skills required for either case, but there may be some differences in the resuscitation of the victim."

Yes, this really is something you want to think about at the beginning of the summer pool season:

If you do notice breathing problems, be aware. Just because they didn't drown, doesn't mean they're out of danger. Claudia Collins: "If a child has an event while they're in the water, they're gasping, coughing, difficulty breathing, they tell you they're short of breath, that's probably somebody that's aspirated water." Even then, the child could be okay, but after what's called a near-drowning event, pay close attention to the child. Dr. James Wilde, MCG Emergency Medecine: "If the child's complaining of difficulty breathing as you're going home, being sleepy...those are the symptoms of a near-drowning. That patient needs to be taken right to the hospital. That person needs to be monitored and may need to be put on a ventilator in case their breathing gets worse." Dr. James Wilde says parents should not think swallowing a bunch of water is going to harm their child in the same way as a near-drowning event...which can be fatal hours after the child leaves the water. Dr. Wilde: "Initial drowning event damages the lungs and then, in response, the lungs fill up with fluid and that's what event can kill you if you don't get medical attention."

Here's the way that dry drowning can happen:

About an hour after the swim, Johnny decided to take a nap. That's when the coroner says the pool water the 10-year-old ingested filled his lungs. "The fluid washes away the normal chemicals that hold the lungs open. The small airways of the lungs collapse and allow water to enter into the lungs causing difficulty breathing and difficulty exchanging oxygen and air,” says Dr. Jairy Hunter, Medical Director of the Trident Health System. The child's death is referred to in lay terms as a dry drowning.

More details on the biology of dry drowning:

Dry Drowning The statistics vary, but somewhere between 15-20% of individuals who drown have what is called dry drowning. This is specifically a laryngospasm in response to water just starting to be taken into the lungs. It is a natural physiological mechanism for the larynx to spasm, stopping the water from entering the lungs. There is no evidence at this time to suggest that these individuals, since they do not have water in their lungs, would be better off treatment-wise, than others who do have water in their lungs, contrary to popular opinion. Treatment for these individuals remains the same as in a drowning incident, to get oxygenation to their lungs to get them to start breathing again.

And here's the wikipedia entry on dry drowning....the first port of call for information in this Web 2.0 world, don't you find?