Drowning

Scouting for girls, adapted from Girl guiding - Saving Life from Drowning

Drowning is a serious, often fatal event resulting from a person's inability to maintain breathing after becoming submerged or partially submerged in water. The primary cause of death in drowning is asphyxia due to water inhalation, which disrupts the body's absorption of oxygen and eventually leads to hypoxia and cardiac arrest.

Classification

Drowning can be categorized based on its intent and circumstances, such as accidental or intentional. Accidental drownings often result from recreational activities, like swimming, or natural disasters. Intentional drownings may be a method of suicide or homicide and are generally far less common.

ICD Coding

In medical records and studies, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) provides standardized coding for various health conditions. For drowning:

• The ICD-10 code is T75.1

• The ICD-9 code is 994.1

Types of Drowning

Drownings can be further classified by the medium causing the asphyxia:

• Freshwater Drowning: This occurs in bodies of freshwater, such as lakes and rivers. The hypotonic freshwater can disrupt electrolyte balance in the blood if aspirated, potentially leading to complications like hemolysis or cardiac arrhythmias.
• Saltwater Drowning: This takes place in bodies of saltwater like oceans and seas. Aspirated hypertonic saltwater can pull fluid into the lungs, exacerbating pulmonary edema.
• Cold Water Immersion: This involves submersion in cold water, which can accelerate hypothermia and impair swimming ability, increasing drowning risk.

Prevention and Safety Measures

• Drowning prevention strategies are crucial to reducing the incidence of drowning. These include education about water safety, adequate supervision of individuals (especially children) near water, learning to swim, wearing life jackets, and setting up physical barriers like pool fencing. Resuscitation skills, such as CPR, can be critical in reviving a drowning victim.

References

• van Beeck EF, Branche CM, Szpilman D, Modell JH, Bierens JJ. A new definition of drowning: towards documentation and prevention of a global public health problem. Bull World Health Organ. 2005;83(11):853-6.

External Links

• Canadian Red Cross: Drowning Research: Drownings in Canada, 10 Years of Research Module 2 – Ice & Cold Water Immersion

Drowning Resources
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