There are few worse things for a parent to fathom than the thought of your child drowning. Australian children live in the water in the warmer months, and many participate in both indoor and outdoor water sports in the winter as well. The risks of drowning in a pool, a spa, the beach or even in the bathtub are all very real, and that’s why most parents practise such vigilance when it comes to supervising children around water.

But what happens when your child drowns out of the water? What if they ‘drown’ in bed, watching TV or eating dinner? Secondary drowning (also known as near drowning or parking lot drowning) can happen one to 48 hours after exposure to water, and usually follows a near drowning incident or when excess water has been ingested into the body.

When a person suffers a near-drowning, excess water is inhaled into the lungs and can cause a drop in blood oxygen levels. But contrary to expectation, the amount of water inhaled is usually quite small, just enough to make the lungs no longer able to deliver oxygen to the bloodstream and the victim eventually succumbs to the lack of oxygenated blood. The victim can usually think they have gotten rid of all the excess water by coughing, but this is not always the case.

Signs of Secondary Drowning

Secondary Drowning can be so hard to detect due to it’s slow-acting nature. Some red flags to watch out for following a near drowning or if you suspect someone, or yourself, has ingested water into the lungs include:

Vomiting
Involuntary bowel movements or urination
Change in personality, awareness and energy levels/fatigue due to decreasing blood oxygen levels
Persistent coughing
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Fever
Pinky frothy discharge from mouth and nose (during pulmonary edema)

Children who have experience a near-drowning incident in any circumstance or setting should be closely monitored for several hours after the incident. The only preventative measure after the fact is quick thinking and action if you think secondary drowning has occurred.

Is It Just Water That Can Cause Secondary Drowning?

Any fluid can be inhaled and cause secondary drowning. Pool water tends to be the most common and most dangerous, because inhaling pool water can also cause chemical pneumonitis, or inflammation of the lungs due to harmful chemicals.

Is Dry Drowning The Same As Secondary Drowning?

No. Closely related and usually mistaken for the same thing, dry drowning also occurs in a near drowning incident when the larynx closes off to prevent the inhalation of fluid. This is known as a laryngospasm, and usually only lasts for 30-60 seconds, but in the case of dry drowning, it can close off for several minutes, resulting in only oxygen-starved blood reaching the lungs.

Treatment

If caught early enough, secondary drowning can be treated with oxygen adminstered by a health care professional. They will also attempt to remove the fluid from the lungs with positive air pressure and diuretics. If not treated, the lack of oxygen in the blood will lead to pulmonary edema, hypoxia, respiratory and cardiac arrest and death. Interestingly, the recovery prognosis of children that have inhaled fresh water is much better than those who have inhaled salt or chemically treated water.

If you become concerned about any symptoms please seek immediate medical attention we have some hotlines and suggested websites for further information and advice https://www.stayathomemum.com.au/my-kids/babies/important-hotlines-websites/

SAHM takes no responsibility for any illness, injury or death caused by misuse of this information. All information provided is correct at time of publication.

Sources

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-secondary-drowning.htm

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/09/health/secondary-drowning-symptoms/