Topic - Near Drowning
For every drowning, there are six hundred near drowning events. Near drowning is described as “almost dying from suffocating under water”.
It’s the last stage before death. They’re alive when they get to the hospital.
If a nearly drowned person is cold, check for a pulse for one minute before starting CPR. Be careful moving their head and spine due to injury.
Remove clothing and cover with a blanket. The Heimlich maneuver doesn’t help.
Most kids who experience near drowning recover without long-term effects.
If they’re younger than three or have spent ten minutes under water, they could end up in a vegetative state, be paralyzed, have seizures, orthopedic injuries and suffer from frequent infections. In these situations, long-term, out-of-home care is likely.
Keep your kids within reach when you’re in the water.
