Dry Drowning - A fact every mother should know
Dry Drowning - I never heard about the term until tonight when a friend forwarded a link to me. Reading the article from MSNBC gave me goosebumps. I have a three year old daughter and a one year old son who absolutely love water, they would play with water during their baths and it is always a fight to get them off the pool even when their skin is wrinkled from being in the water too long. Just thinking about the possibility of them Dry Drowning is enough to send me on edge and keep them off water forever, but I know I couldn’t do that, so just knowing about what Dry Drowning is and its symptoms would do.
So, what exactly is Dry Drowning and why did it make me write this post? For starters, the article I mentioned is about a 10 year old boy who died more than an hour after he had gone swimming because of this little-known phenomenon. The symptoms are very hard to distinguish, but just knowing about them will make a difference. I would never forgive myself if a child of someone I know dies (God forbid!) from Dry Drowning because I never told them what I know, the least I could do is spread the word out and hope that the awareness will be enough to make everyone cautious about this phenomenon.
According to the article: “The three important signs of Dry Drowning are difficulty breathing, extreme tiredness and changes in behavior. All are the result of reduced oxygen flow to the brain.”
Borrowing from Wikipedia:
Dry drowning is when a person’s lungs become unable to extract oxygen from the air, due primarily to:
* Muscular paralysis
* Puncture wound to the torso (affecting ability of diaphragm to create respiratory movement)
* Changes to the oxygen-absorbing tissues
* Persistence of laryngospasm when immersed in fluid
* Breathing for too long any gas other than oxygen that does not kill the patient on its own. (e.g. Helium)
The person may effectively drown without any sort of fluid. In cases of dry drowning in which the victim was immersed, very little fluid is aspirated into the lungs. The laryngospasm reflex essentially causes asphyxiation and neurogenic pulmonary edema (oedema).
Dry drowning can occur clinically, or due to illness or accident, or be deliberately (and repeatedly) induced in torture (waterboarding). It can be traumatizing, and it can be deadly.
In children, this can happen during a bath. SCARY - A very scary possibility.
How to Determine a Dry Drowning
(an article from eHow)
Medical examiners determine that about 15 percent of drowning victims have experienced dry drowning. Whether it is a wet or dry drowning, death occurs due to lack of oxygen or cardiac arrest from a low body temperature. There are certain things that happen during dry drowning, which may be evident upon examination.
Instructions
Step1
Determine whether the victim entered a body of water forcefully from a high diving board or slid down a long steep slide. These two activities have been associated with dry drowning. The victim involuntarily suffocates by holding his breath or experiencing a muscle spasm of the larynx.
Step2
Decide if it’s possible the victim’s epiglottis was hit forcefully with droplets of water. This causes the flap to spasm and close over the windpipe. Once it is closed, water and air are unable to enter the lungs.
Step3
Notice whether someone is choking or gagging while they are in or around water. It may be an indication that water has hit the epiglottis and caused spasms. This can happen in the water or after leaving the water and usually occurs 6 to 10 minutes after the water hits the epiglottis.
Step4
Examine a dry drowning victim, and it may reveal water in the stomach but not in the lungs. Water in the lungs indicates the victim was alive before submersion, but the absence of water indicates dry drowning or death before drowning.
If you notice any of these signs or anything peculiar after your child came in contact with water (yes, even bath water), don’t dally, bring your child to the emergency room immediately. It never hurt to be too cautious when it comes to your children’s welfare. Better to be told that you’re wrong by a doctor than finding that your child will never wake up again.
Preparing for a bday party
I have been quite busy the past few days what with project deadlines and preparing for Khleomi’s 3rd bday party that I did not have the time to spend on BeThumbed. Anyways, Khleomi is so into princesses right now and she wants to have a princess party. I am not sure if I am up to the task, I just have to plow on ahead and see what will happen. Anyway, here is her invitation card:
Another dance video
Here’s another dance video by Reign and Khleomi.
