What is it about ?
Drowning occurs when water is inhaled into the lungs. When a person remains immersed for a long time, they will first hold their breath as long as possible. But quickly, the urge to breathe will become so strong that she will open her mouth to get some air. This is when the mouth and respiratory tract fill with water. A certain amount of water enters the lungs and damages the pulmonary alveoli. Then the body will run out of oxygen. If the brain does not get enough oxygen for a while, we loses consciousness. The heart ultimately does not receive enough oxygen either, and then cardiac arrest follows.
If the water is very cold or if the person has been in the water for a long time before being submerged, it may also be a question of hypothermia. Body temperature drops below 35 ° C. The drop in temperature slows down metabolism and bodily functions. The reactions, breathing and heart rate slow down, and the skin becomes cold.
If a person has been in trouble underwater, but is not inanimate, we will speak of a pre-drowning state. Drowning and pre-drowning are often the result of an accident, such as a neck injury caused by a dive. But they can also be due to a condition, such as heart attack, a intracranial hemorrhage or a decompression due to too fast and too deep a dive.
What is its frequency?
It is estimated that approximately 360,000 people die from drowning each year. Children, men and people who spend a lot of time near water are at the greatest risk of drowning.
How to recognize them?
In the event of drowning, the victim is inanimate. She does not react when spoken to (“What happened?”) Or to painful stimuli (pinching the skin or the earlobe). The person is not breathing, and you cannot feel their pulse.
In the event of a pre-drowning, the victim is still conscious, although his state of consciousness may be affected. She reacts when spoken to and in any case to painful stimuli. Usually, we perceive the heartbeat. The breathing may be slowed down or even absent.
What can you do ?
The victim is still in the water
Notify the emergency services. Remove the victim from the water as quickly as possible (horizontally). Only go into the water if there is no other possibility. If you want to help, always think about your own safety first. Make sure there is always at least one other person around who can help.
The victim is out of the water
Notify the emergency services as soon as possible (if this has not already been done).
There is no point in trying to “empty the lungs” of the victim. In some cases the vocal cords contracted upon contact with a little water, so that there was no water in the lungs. And if that’s the case anyway, you won’t be able to get that water out anyway.
Check the victim’s state of consciousness by speaking to him and / or pinching his skin or earlobe. Check for ten seconds if breathing is normal.
- If the victim is inanimate and not breathing normally, check his pulse. If you can’t feel her pulse either, start the intensive care. Start with 30 cardiac massages (15 in a child) and insert 2 breaths every 30 compressions. It is necessary that the cardiac massages are sufficiently fast (100 per minute) and powerful, and exert pressure on the rib cage of a good 2 inches down. Continue until help arrives.
- If the victim is inanimate and breathing normally, place it on its side (stable position) while waiting for the arrival of the emergency services. Every minute, check to see if she is still breathing normally.
- If the victim is conscious and breathing normally, move it horizontally and cover it to warm up, while waiting for emergency services.
Even in the event of a pre-drowning, i.e. when a person has been in difficulty underwater but is not inanimate, you should contact a doctor. Water may have entered the victim’s lungs, which can lead to life-threatening complications within the first 48 hours. If the victim feels very oppressed within 48 hours of a pre-drowning, notify the emergency services immediately.
What can your doctor do?
The victim is in a state of consciousness
If the victim is conscious, the doctor will start by administering oxygen. The oxygen level in the blood is monitored regularly. An oximeter placed on the fingertip allows it to be measured at the accident site. In the hospital, the measurement is done via a blood test.
Often there is water in the victim’s stomach and the risk of water still entering the lungs cannot be ruled out. This is why the person must be closely monitored in a hospital setting during the first hours. If there are no problems, she can leave the hospital after a day.
The victim is inanimate
As soon as the emergency services arrive, the team begins intensive care (or she regains control) and plugs in an external defibrillator. The victim must then be taken to hospital as soon as possible for further treatment.
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