Dr. Rick Place is Medical Director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Inova Children’s Hospital (at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus in Falls Church, VA). Dr. Place is a board certified physician in both Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics.
Northern Virginia parents and caregivers: With the heat of the D.C. summer upon us, did you know these sobering facts about kids and drowning?
Yes, the statistics are scary – so it’s always a good idea to make sure you are familiar with water safety and drowning facts.
Several years ago, I resuscitated a little girl who was rescued from the bottom of a pool at a party with many adults and other children in the pool – which highlights another fact: MOST DROWNINGS ARE SILENT.
When a child is drowning, they do not have the ability to call for help or wave their arms.
Call 911 and begin basic life support immediately on any unconscious drowning victim. If the child is not breathing, they may be revived with an initial FIVE rescue breaths. If unsuccessful, give 30 chest compressions followed by 2 rescue breaths; repeat continuously until breathing resumes or help arrives.
Children in obvious respiratory distress should be transported by ambulance to the nearest medical facility.
Other children gag and choke but seem to recover quickly. These children should be watched closely over the next several hours for the development of respiratory symptoms or chest discomfort.
There is no such thing; the terms “dry drowning” and “delayed drowning” are not considered true events by medical experts. Children destined to become sick from drowning will universally exhibit symptoms within 4-8 hours. If there are no symptoms within this time frame, children can be considered a “water rescue” and are safe.
Inova offers a variety of CPR and First Aid classes in Northern Virginia.
https://www.inovachildrens.org/emergency-urgent-care
STARKID TIPS BLOG: Read more posts from Inova’s pediatric emergency medicine blog and sign up at inovachildrens.org/starkid-blog
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