Darragh O' Carthaigh
My brother would be twenty seven now if he hadn't died. I'm not sure how life would be different with him alive, perhaps my parents would be different. He died before I was born. It's called secondary drowning.
You pay close attention to your kids when they’re swimming or playing in the pool, splashing in the ocean. You make sure a lifeguard is on hand, and you never leave your little ones alone near any water -- even the tub. And that’s the right thing to do. But there’s still more you can do to keep them safe: Learn the signs of danger after they’re out of the water and what to do.
Health experts define drowning as trouble breathing after you get water into your airways. Sometimes that happens while swimming or bathing. But it can come from something as simple as getting water in your mouth or getting dunked.
Although it can be fatal, it isn't always. You can survive drowning if you get help right away.
You may have heard of the terms “dry drowning” and “secondary drowning.” Those aren’t actually medical terms. But they do point to rare complications that you should know about and that are more common in children.
With so-called dry drowning, water never reaches the lungs. Instead, breathing in water causes your child's vocal cords to spasm and close up. That shuts off their airways, making it hard to breathe. You would start to notice those signs right away -- it wouldn’t happen out of the blue days later.
“Secondary drowning” is another term people use to describe another drowning complication. It happens if water gets into the lungs. There, it can irritate the lungs’ lining and fluid can build up, causing a condition called pulmonary edema. You’d likely notice your child having trouble breathing right away, and it might get worse over the next 24 hours.
Both events are very rare. They make up only 1%-2% of all drownings, says pediatrician James Orlowski, MD, of Florida Hospital Tampa.
Symptoms
Drowning complications can include:
Coughing
Chest pain
Trouble breathing
Feeling extremely tired
Your child may also have changes in behavior such as such as irritability or a drop in energy levels, which could mean the brain isn't getting enough oxygen.
You pay close attention to your kids when they’re swimming or playing in the pool, splashing in the ocean. You make sure a lifeguard is on hand, and you never leave your little ones alone near any water -- even the tub. And that’s the right thing to do. But there’s still more you can do to keep them safe: Learn the signs of danger after they’re out of the water and what to do.
Health experts define drowning as trouble breathing after you get water into your airways. Sometimes that happens while swimming or bathing. But it can come from something as simple as getting water in your mouth or getting dunked.
Although it can be fatal, it isn't always. You can survive drowning if you get help right away.
You may have heard of the terms “dry drowning” and “secondary drowning.” Those aren’t actually medical terms. But they do point to rare complications that you should know about and that are more common in children.
With so-called dry drowning, water never reaches the lungs. Instead, breathing in water causes your child's vocal cords to spasm and close up. That shuts off their airways, making it hard to breathe. You would start to notice those signs right away -- it wouldn’t happen out of the blue days later.
“Secondary drowning” is another term people use to describe another drowning complication. It happens if water gets into the lungs. There, it can irritate the lungs’ lining and fluid can build up, causing a condition called pulmonary edema. You’d likely notice your child having trouble breathing right away, and it might get worse over the next 24 hours.
Both events are very rare. They make up only 1%-2% of all drownings, says pediatrician James Orlowski, MD, of Florida Hospital Tampa.
Symptoms
Drowning complications can include:
Coughing
Chest pain
Trouble breathing
Feeling extremely tired
Your child may also have changes in behavior such as such as irritability or a drop in energy levels, which could mean the brain isn't getting enough oxygen.
22-25, F
