Why Dry Drowning can be Fatal?
Normally, during breathing, our diaphragm gets contracted and the lungs located above it undergoes expansion. This helps in drawing air inside the lungs by creating a vacuum or negative pressure in it. Before entering into the lungs, the air passes through larynx. When water is inhaled instead of air, then involuntary contraction of muscles of laryngeal cords takes place and the larynx is shut. This spasm condition continues hardly for 30 seconds. During this time, the inhalation process is partially blocked but the exhalation goes on normally. In such condition, there is no supply of air to the vacuum created by the diaphragm. As the vacuum remains, the person tries to breathe harder in order to fill air into those vacuums. On the other hand, the vacuums also exert additional pressure in the chest. As a result, the inflow of oxygen is obstructed and the condition is known as hypoxia. The outflow of carbon dioxide is blocked too. Thus, there is an inadequate supply of oxygen in the bod
