Lightning Rounds: Submersion Injuries

Especially in the summer, children, and young men are at higher risk of submersion injuries. 

Management of a drowning victim

When a patient is identified in an active drowning situation;

• Call for backup: Scene safety and utilization of appropriately trained personnel is important to prevent additional victims. 
• Drowning victims have alveolar collapse due to surfactant removal.
• "Dry Drowning" refers patients who drown with laryngospasm, preventing active water movement into the lungs. 
• Submersion for longer than 10 minutes predicts a much worse outcome than those submersed < 10 minutes. 
• Patients should be observed for 4-6 hours after a partial drowning event. 

drowning_epidemiology.pdf
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multiorgan_dysfunction_drowning.pdf
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