Summary
Drowning: epidemiology, prevention, pathophysiology, resuscitation, and hospital treatment
Abelairas-Gómez C, Tipton MJ, González-Salvado V, Bierens JJLM
Affiliation of the authors
Grupo de Investigación CLINURSID y Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IDIS) de Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Extreme Environments Laboratory, Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK. Servicio de Cardiología, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago, CIBERCV, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Research Group Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Bruselas, Belgium .
DOI
Quote
Abelairas-Gómez C, Tipton MJ, González-Salvado V, Bierens JJLM. Drowning: epidemiology, prevention, pathophysiology, resuscitation, and hospital treatment. Emergencias. 2019;31:270-80
Summary
This narrative review discusses the evidence relevant to key aspects of drowning, which is defined by the World Health Organization as the process of respiratory difficulty caused by submersion/immersion in liquid. The length of time the victim is submerged is a key factor in survival and neurologic damage. Although respiratory distress and hypoxia are the main events, other complications affecting various systems and organs may develop. Drowning is one of the main causes of accidental death worldwide, yet deaths from drowning are underestimated and morbidity is unknown. Prevention is essential for reducing both mortality and morbidity, but if prevention fails, the speed of access to and the quality of prehospital and hospital care will determine the prognosis. It is therefore essential to understand the factors and mechanisms involved in these emergencies.