Cherish life and beware of “dry drowning”!

Author: Sun Yuhang and Zhou Yixi Medical College

Reviewer: Xiao Xinli, Associate Professor, Xi'an Jiaotong University

In the hot summer, swimming has become an important activity for the public to cool down and relax. But water and fire are merciless. While swimming brings comfort, safety risks are also everywhere. In life, people are familiar with the fact that drowning usually occurs in water, but there is a kind of drowning that may occur after leaving the water, which is "dry drowning".

1. What is dry drowning?

Dry drowning refers to a situation in which a person is suddenly stimulated by cold water after entering the water, which triggers a reflex laryngeal spasm, leading to airway obstruction and glottis closure, causing the body to suffer from hypoxia and suffocation. At the same time, a large amount of water cannot enter the lungs due to the closure of the glottis, so it is medically called "dry drowning."

For some people with sensitive nervous constitutions, cold water stimulates the sensory nerve endings of the skin and the laryngeal mucosa, causing vagus nerve excitement, and may also cause reflex cardiac arrest and malignant arrhythmias.

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2. What symptoms will people experience from dry drowning?

Dry drowning usually occurs in beginners and those with poor physical fitness, especially children. Its symptoms are hidden, and most people will experience abnormal symptoms such as coughing, sore throat, and difficulty breathing after swimming.

Specifically, the following symptoms will appear over time : coughing and inspiratory dyspnea occur immediately after leaving the water due to strong stimulation of the larynx, which is manifested as significant effort in breathing. In severe cases, the "three-depression sign" can be seen, that is, the suprasternal fossa, supraclavicular fossa and intercostal space are obviously sunken during inhalation; this can also be accompanied by open mouth breathing, flaring of the nasal wings and high-pitched inspiratory laryngeal sounds; at the same time, airway spasm may also occur due to the strong stimulation of cold water. Subsequently, due to lack of oxygen, dizziness, headache, fatigue, weakness, etc. may occur, and in severe cases, the lips may turn purple!

In addition, vagus nerve excitement can cause gastrointestinal motility to accelerate, and can also cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms. Eventually, the heart will stop beating due to the vagus nerve, leading to the death of the drowning person.

After the above symptoms appear, you must be alert to the possibility of dry drowning, seek medical attention in time to avoid serious consequences!

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3. How to provide first aid in case of dry drowning?

After dry drowning occurs, the patient will first experience suffocation symptoms due to lack of oxygen. If necessary emergency measures can be taken within the golden 4 to 6 minutes, most drowning victims will have a good prognosis. On the contrary, if this golden rescue period is missed, the patient's prognosis will deteriorate and may even lead to brain death.

Opening the airway and performing artificial respiration for the drowning person in time according to his condition is the key to rescue at this time!

For drowning victims who are unconscious and have no breathing or heartbeat, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be performed immediately, and the "ABC first aid method" should be used to save the drowning victim's life.

A (Airway) : First, remove foreign objects from the drowning person’s mouth and nose, open the airway, and ensure it is unobstructed.

B (Breathing) : Perform 2 to 5 deep artificial respirations.

C (Circulation) : Press the midpoint of the line connecting the two nipples at a rate of 100 to 120 times per minute, perform two artificial respirations for every 30 compressions, and repeat this cycle until the drowning person wakes up or emergency personnel arrive.

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4. How to prevent dry drowning?

When swimming, pay attention to preventing dry drowning. Do not swim in dangerous waters such as lakes and rivers. Swim in a regular swimming pool accompanied by others.

1. Before entering the water : warm up, adapt to the water temperature, adjust your breathing, and avoid the strong stimulation of cold water.

2. After entering the water : conserve your energy. If you experience difficulty breathing or laryngeal spasm, call for help immediately.

3. After leaving the water : Even after swimming, do not take it lightly after leaving the water. If the above-mentioned symptoms of dry drowning occur, you should seek medical attention in time to avoid serious consequences.

Every midsummer, drowning incidents occur frequently around us. Here we would like to remind everyone to understand and prevent dry drowning in a timely manner, cherish life, and pay attention to safety!