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Near drowning    See images

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Drowning - near

Definition:

Near drowning is suffocation from being submerged in water or other fluid.

Considerations

In the United States, drowning claims between 6,000 to 8,000 lives annually.

All near-drowning victims should be checked by a doctor. Even though victims may revive quickly at the scene, lung complications are common.

A person who is drowning usually can't shout for help, so it's important to be alert for signs of drowning. Most drownings occur within a short distance of safety. Suspect an accident if you see someone in the water fully clothed. Watch for uneven swimming motions, which indicate a swimmer is getting tired. Often the body sinks, and only the head shows above the water.

In a near-drowning emergency, immediate action and first aid can prevent death.

It may be possible to revive a drowning victim even after a prolonged period of submersion, especially if the victim was in very cold water.

Children can drown in only a few inches of water.

Causes

• Near-drowning commonly results from inadequate supervision of small children around bathtubs and pools, alcohol use while boating or swimming, inability to swim, panic while swimming, falling through thin ice, blows to the head or seizures while in the water, and attempted suicide.
• Bodily harm from near-drowning is caused primarily by lack of oxygen to the brain, as well as direct lung injury.

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