Dry-Drowning Death Highlights Little Known Danger
June 19, 2008 by Pauline Lupercio | 2 questions or comments
Johnny Jackson of South Carolina apparently got some water in his lungs during his very first, and tragically last, swim. According to the article on MSNBC’s TODAY, Johnny didn’t show any signs of immediate respiratory distress, but he did have an accident in the pool and soiled himself.
Even so, Johnny walked home that afternoon with his mother and sister.
“I’ve never known a child could walk around, talk, speak and their lungs be filled with water,” Cassandra Jackson was quoted in the story as saying.
Johnny’s mother said she bathed him and that he told her he was sleepy. When she went to check on him in bed, his face was covered in a “spongy white material.” He was rushed to a local hospital, where he died, hours after getting out of the pool.
The risks
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 3,600 people drowned in 2005, with 10 to 15 percent classified as “dry drowning,” which can occur up to 24 hours after just a small amount of water gets into the lungs. For the smallest of children, this can happen in the bath tub.
The signs
Dr. Daniel Rauch, a pediatrician from New York University Langone Medical Center, was interviewed by TODAY and shared these signs that every parent needs to watch out for:
- Difficulty breathing
- Extreme tiredness
- Changes in behavior
Perhaps the signs are the scariest part of all for parents, as they are so easily mistaken for regular changes in a toddler or child’s daily behavior, especially after a long day of playing in the sun. But they are important, and are classic signs of reduced oxygen flow to the brain. Spotting these signs can save your child’s life.
While dry drowning is not completely understood, medical researchers say that in some people, a small amount of inhaled water can have a delayed effect. It essential for dry drowning victims to get to the emergency room as quickly as possible for treatment, which includes a breathing tube that supplies oxygen under pressure to the lungs.
Being that it is summer and my children are in the pool from sun up to sun down I would like some more information on this article. I had never heard of this “dry drowning”, which is very scary.
There are a number of websites that contain information about “dry drowning” including Web MD. While the condition is rare, it’s important for parents to know the early warning signs. “Dry drowning” usually follows an incident in the water, and occurs within 24 hours.