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The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Phan Ngoc Toan - Emergency Medicine Doctor - Emergency Department - Vinmec Danang International Hospital. Doctor Pham Ngoc Toan has extensive experience in Resuscitation - Emergency treatment.“Dry drowning” may still be a strange name for many people, in fact this is an extremely dangerous medical condition and can cause death if not treated promptly. A lack of skills to recognize and prevent dry drowning can lead to unfortunate consequences.
1. What is dry drowning?
Medical professionals define DROWNING as difficulty breathing after water enters the airways. Sometimes it happens while swimming or showering or simply getting liquid in the mouth. Without help in an emergency breathing situation, it can progress to death.You may have heard of the terms “DRY DRYING” AND “SECOND DROWNING”. That's not really medical terminology. But they point to rare complications that you should be aware of and are more common in children. With DRY DEATH, water never reaches the lungs. Instead, breathing in water causes the baby's vocal cords to constrict and close, making breathing difficult. Those signs will manifest symptoms immediately as in the situation of choking a foreign body into the airway.
“Secondary drowning” is another term people use to describe another complication of drowning. It occurs if water enters the lungs, irritating the lining of the lungs, and fluid can build up, causing a condition called pulmonary edema. You may notice your baby having trouble breathing right away, and this may get worse over the next 24 hours.
Both situations are very rare. Tampa Hospital pediatrician James Orlowski says they account for only 1%-2% of all drownings.
Đuối nước khô không được xử lý kịp thời có thể dẫn đến tử vong
2. Signs and symptoms of dry drowning
Because children are too young and can't know how their body is going, so within 1 hour after the child is out of the water area, you should closely observe the child's expressions signs and symptoms of dry drowning appear. When dry drowning, children often have the following symptoms:
Constriction of the larynx Cough Chest tightness Dizziness Dizziness Difficulty breathing Body extremely tired Drowsiness Dizziness Difficulty talking Person in a dream state membranes, not alert Foaming in the mouth or nose Changes in behavior, such as irritability or decreased energy because the brain is not getting enough oxygen
3. What should be done when a child drowns in dry water?
When you discover anything unusual since the child is out of the water area, you should seek medical help immediately, because this is an emergency, needing immediate emergency care. . Although, in certain cases, the signs and symptoms of dry drowning may go away on their own, however, not to be ignored, subjective; It is important for parents to check and closely observe their children's manifestations within 24 hours to avoid unfortunate situations.
Cha mẹ cần theo dõi biểu hiện của trẻ trong 24 giờ sau khi ra khỏi nước
When the symptoms do not seem to go away but worsen, help your child stay calm and then take him to the emergency room immediately. Here, the doctor will have the child take a chest X-ray and perform other diagnostic tests to check the child's airway, heart rate, oxygen levels, and body temperature.
If the life-sustaining functions of the body are gradually returning to normal, the child will continue to be monitored in the hospital for 4 to 6 hours before completely stable.
4. Dry drowning prevention
With the motto: "Safety first", parents with young children should note the following to help prevent and limit the risk of dry drowning of children:
Always observe and closely monitor Be careful when children are in water Never let children swim or bathe alone Only allow children to swim in areas with lifeguards Equip with extra lifesaving equipment such as life jackets for both yourself and the child children when crossing the river Have their children attend more classes of skills to help them stay safe in the water or parents can participate in safety training programs for children from 6 months to 3 years old when in contact with the area there is water. If your family has young children, it is advisable to build a fence in the area with the swimming pool at home to prevent children from drowning in wet or dry water. Taking classes to teach first aid for drowning, such as CPR. The measure to prevent dry and wet drowning is that parents should not let their children go to ponds, rivers, streams or let their children play. Alone, even if the child knows how to swim, parents should not be subjective. Should attend first aid classes to perform immediately when needed. In dangerous situations, parents or relatives need to give first aid to a drowning child properly and quickly take the child to the hospital for timely treatment by doctors.
The Emergency Department at Vinmec International General Hospital is the address for receiving drowning cases as well as other dangerous emergency situations. With a team of experienced emergency doctors, multi-specialty coordination, modern equipment, outstanding facilities, and professional care services, Vinmec has successfully handled many serious emergencies. related to stroke , acute myocardial infarction ,...
Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.
Reference source: webmd.com
