Something scary happened
at our house recently and we want to share it with you. We are sharing this story because it has come
to our attention that this is something that could save a life if it is known
about.
Drowning is a huge
problem, especially in the summer time. About 4,000 people drown each year and
1,400 of these are children. The CDC has no statistics on the number of dry
drowning deaths. 25 people have drowned
in 2012 (as of July 1, 2012)
Here is what happened the night of June 26, 2012 -All
times are approximate
4:30 pm: Mom drops Codiemichael, Cynthia, and Nikki off
at grandmas house for a few hours while she and dad attend session 9 of pride
training.
7:00 pm: Cynthia and Nikki go swimming at grandmas while Codiemichael
plays inside.
9:00 pm: Mom and dad arrive at grandmas to pick up the
kids. Girls are in the pool while Codiemichael plays inside the house. Dad tells
girls to clean up the pool toys. Dad and
Codiemichael help pick up toys on the patio while Cynthia and Nikki dove to the
bottom of the deep end to retrieve toys.
9:15 pm: Cynthia comes up from the bottom of the pool
saying she can’t breath. Dad pulls her out of the water. Cynthia is not able to
stand up, speak clearly, breath easily or understand what is going on. Mom
takes Cynthia to sit down while dad and Codiemichael help pick up the remaining
toys. Mom and dad think that a combination of being tired and water pressure
are contributing to her having a difficult time breathing. Cynthia dries off and changes clothes on her
own.
9:51 pm: Mom called utmb in Friendswood to talk to an on
call nurse. Dad then took Cynthia to Clear Lake Emergency Care when nurse said
to get her to hospital after being told of symptoms.
10:00pm: vitals 98% o2, bp 99/62
Chest x ray clear creatin low - probably dehydrated per
nurse saul at clear lake er
Given pill under tongue for nausea.
11:58 pm: 98.4 temp, 93/57 bp 100% o2 nurse saul said she
sounded clear
12:27 am transferred to Clear lake regional for further
observation via windsor ambulance. Taken
to picu.
1:12 am 6/27/12 - 80 lbs, 4'9", 97.8 temp, 100/64
bp, pulse 80 bpm, sounds clear per nurse laura. Per cynthia: hurts to breath
deep, legs hurt
3:00 am: sleeping soundly
1:00 pm 6/27/12 – Doctor says lungs sound good
enough to not expose Cynthia to more radiation and she will be released around
4 after a few more hours of observation.
4:15 pm – Released!
DRY DROWNING, EXPLAINED
More
or less a mystery among the medical field, dry drowning is a delayed effect of
a small amount of water in the lungs. This can occur when hitting the water
forcefully (say, when exiting a steep waterslide or following a leap off a
diving board), or simply from taking in too much while playing, as in our case.
The result, which can occur minutes or hours after exiting the water, is
constriction or spasm in the air passage and restricted breathing, potentially
leading to respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest, and even brain death.
It can take a while for the process to
occur and to set in and cause difficulties, because it is a lung process,
difficulty breathing is the first sign that you would be worried about.” All
children react to unintended swallowing of water by coughing, sometimes crying,
and eye rubbing. The thing parents should watch for is coughing which is persistent and
continues for an extended period or often long after the water has been
ingested. If this coughing continues for as much as 20-30 minutes it may well
be an indication of water aspiration into the lungs. Parents should be
especially concerned if the child has any of the risk factors above.
The second sign is extreme fatigue, which
isn’t always easy to spot. “It’s very difficult to tell when your child is
abnormally tired versus normal tired after a hot day and running around in the
pool,” one researcher said. “The job of the lungs is to get oxygen into the
blood and your brain needs oxygen to keep working, so when your brain isn’t
getting oxygen, it can start doing funny things. One of them is becoming
excessively tired, losing consciousness and the inability to be aroused
appropriately.”
Finally, there are changes in behavior, — another tough call when dealing with very
small children, whose moods and behavior can change from one minute to the
next.
The researcher admitted, “It is very
difficult to pick this up sometimes.” But spotting the warning signs and
getting a suspected victim to an emergency room can save a life, he added.
Children
complaining of chest pain
is very unusual. It is a strong indicator of ingested water and possible
aspiration into the lungs. Be aware this is another symptom of dry drowning. Any other complaint of pain
following water ingestion is a warning sign and is another symptom of dry
drowning.
If the child
demonstrates confusion,
has trouble understanding
verbal instructions or has difficulty
verbalizing his/her own thoughts following accidental water intake
he/she is demonstrating another symptom of drowning.
A sudden lack of energy or
demonstration of extreme tiredness
is a significant symptom. This is especially meaningful when seen in a normally
active child.
Victims of dry drowning are treated by
having a breathing tube inserted so that oxygen can be supplied under pressure
to the lungs. “Then we just wait for the lung to heal itself,” he said.
Doctors suggest
that when accidental water ingestion occurs that parent first consider whether
their child has any of the high risks (above) for dry drowning. They should
then keep their child nearby and observe intently, whether any of the above symptoms are
demonstrated. If they are the child should be taken to a doctor or emergency room.
Doctors warn us
that this is not a condition which
can be treated at home or will go away with time. The only effective
treatment is remove the water from the lungs and resupply oxygen to the lung as
quickly as possible.
In the absence
of timely medical treatment the spasmodic effect of the larynx may cause respiratory
failure and eventually respiratory failure shutting off air supply to the lungs
and later cardiac arrest.
Please be aware
of the risk and symptoms and do not hesitate to get medical attention for any
child demonstrating these.
While my
daughter is a strong swimmer and very familiar with this pool, you can see that
we nearly overlooked some very important warning signs because of the time of
day (late at night), and the situation (she was tired from swimming for several
hours). I don’t send this to scare
anyone, just to keep you aware.
I would rather
be an over protective parent, than a parent with regrets
