What are the symptoms of “dry drowning”–something everyone with a pool should know?”
I had no idea that someone can die hours after surviving a near-drowning experience. This is due to water being in the lungs, and the airways of the lungs collapsing. “If the child’s complaining of difficulty breathing as you’re going home, being sleepy…those are the symptoms of a near-drowning. That patient needs to be taken right to the hospital. That person needs to be monitored and may need to be put on a ventilator in case their breathing gets worse. The initial drowning event damages the lungs and then, in response, the lungs fill up with fluid and that’s what event can kill you if you don’t get medical attention.” “The fluid washes away the normal chemicals that hold the lungs open. The small airways of the lungs collapse and allow water to enter into the lungs causing difficulty breathing and difficulty exchanging oxygen and air,” says Dr. Jairy Hunter, Medical Director of the Trident Health System.
