injuries and poisoning
Drowning
Introduction
Drowning occurs when submersion in liquid causes suffocation or interferes with breathing. During drowning, the body is deprived of oxygen, which can damage organs, particularly the brain. Doctors evaluate people for oxygen deprivation and problems that often accompany drowning (such as spinal injuries caused by diving). Treatment focuses on correcting oxygen deprivation and other problems. Drowning may be nonfatal (previously described as near drowning) or fatal. About four times as many people are hospitalized for nonfatal drowning as die as a result of drowning. Drowning is among the top 10 causes of accidental death around the world. In the United States in 2018, drowning was the leading cause of injury-related death in children aged 1 to 4 years, and it was second only to motor vehicle collisions as a cause of death among children aged 5 to 9 years. Drowning was also among the top 10 causes of unintentional death in people under 55 years of age. Specific groups at higher risk of drowning death include the following: Children who have not received formal swimming lessons and are unsupervised around water Males (80% of victims over age 1 year are male) People who have taken alcohol or other drugs that affect judgment and alertness People who have conditions that cause temporary incapacitation, such as Seizure Disorders , which is associated with a 20 times greater chance of drowning among children and adolescents People with Torsades de Pointes Ventricular Tachycardia and certain other disorders that cause certain arrhythmias (swimming can trigger certain kinds of irregular heartbeat [ People who engage in dangerous underwater breath-holding behaviors (DUBBs) Drowning is common in pools, hot tubs, and natural water settings. Children and toddlers are also at risk even around small amounts of water, such as in toilets, bathtubs, and buckets of water or other fluids, because they may be unable to escape after falling in. Diving, particularly into shallow water, may cause Injuries of the Spinal Cord and Vertebrae or Dangerous underwater breath-holding behaviors (DUBBs)are practiced mostly by healthy young men (often good swimmers) trying to prolong their capacity to remain submerged. There are three described types of DUBB: Intentional hyperventilation—rapid breathing before submerging lowers carbon dioxide levels, prolonging the time before the levels become high enough to signal the need to return to the surface and breathe Hypoxic training—breath-holding while in motion to increase capacity for underwater distance swimming. Athletes who practice hypoxic training should do so only under strict supervision of rescuers informed of the athletes' training intention. Static apnea—breath-holding for as long as possible while submerged and motionless, including as a game In DUBBs, people who intentionally hold their breath under water for extended periods may pass out (called hypoxic blackout or breath-hold blackout) and sometimes drown. Hyperventilating before swimming underwater in an attempt to increase breath-holding time can increase the risk of drowning. 