Have you heard alarming stories about dry drowning? Or perhaps you’ve heard of secondary drowning or delayed drowning? While what you may have heard or read about these two “types” of drowning is concerning and scary, the truth is the terms are misnomers. In fact, there are no medically-accepted conditions known as dry drowning or secondary drowning, according to the Mayo Clinic.
According to the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, the historical use of secondary drowning “reflects the reality that some patients may worsen due to pulmonary edema [an abnormal buildup of fluid in the lungs] after aspirating small amounts of water”—whether this happens in a non-fatal drowning or accidentally inhaling some water while swimming or playing.
So, what do you need to know about secondary drowning and how can you prevent it from happening? Here’s how to keep your kids safe.
What are warning signs to look out for?
The World Health Organization defines drowning as “the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid.” Because it’s a process, the outcomes can be mild, moderate or severe. To describe outcomes, medical professionals use the terms fatal drowning, non-fatal drowning with injury or illness, or non-fatal drowning without injury or illness.
To ensure serious injury or fatality doesn’t happen to your family, there are things you should watch out for. According to notoutofthewater.com—a website created in partnership with Colin’s Hope, which provides water safety awareness, education and resources to prevent children from drowning—and watersafetyusa.org, these signs could indicate that water has been aspirated and has compromised the airways or lungs:
- Excessive, persistent coughing that doesn’t stop
- Loss of consciousness, even if for a brief period
- Extreme sleepiness
- Irritability
- Trouble breathing
- Low energy
- Unusual behavior
- Chest pain or shortness of breath
- Confusion
- Required rescue breathing or other breathing support
- Required cardiopulmonary resuscitation
If you notice any of these symptoms in your child shortly after they’ve left the water, it’s important to seek medical help immediately. Typically, people who have experienced a drowning incident and have minimal symptoms get better (usually) or worse (rarely) within four to eight hours, according to the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine.
But if these symptoms show up long after a drowning event, a medical professional should evaluate your child for some other cause.
How to Prevent Secondary Drowning in Children
The best things you can do to prevent secondary drowning in children are the same water safety tips broadly shared by the water safety and medical community. These include tips such as:
- Prevent access to water when adults aren’t present. Ensure pools and hot tubs are fully enclosed by safety gates with self-closing gates, locks that are higher than 4 feet off the ground and audio and visual alarms.
- Assign a designated water watcher when kids are in or near water. This designated adult should give swimmers their undivided attention (even when a lifeguard is present). When in a social setting like a barbecue or pool party, it’s a good idea to assign 15- to 20-minute shifts, so one person isn’t missing all of the socializing.
- Enroll your kids in swimming lessons and water safety classes. Participation in swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning. In fact, “drownings and near drownings are eight times more likely to happen to children that don’t know how to swim or are being supervised by adults that don’t know how to swim,” according to Cook Children’s.
- Ensure all kids wear S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets. Life jackets can play an important part in water safety and drowning prevention. But remember: They’re not a substitute for parent supervision or learning how to swim.
- Know what to do in a water emergency. This includes learning proper rescue procedures and getting certified in CPR.
It’s also a good idea to brush up on specific pool safety and ocean safety tips before heading out for your family day of fun. After all, the drowning statistics are scary. There are an average of 11 drowning deaths per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but with the proper supervision and care, it’s preventable.
RELATED: A Parent’s Role in Water Safety: Supervision Tips
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