Is It Possible To Drown Outside Of The Pool?

As summer approaches, children migrate from their schools back home for vacation. Summer vacation is a time of fun and activities for children, but it also tends to be a time of high stress for parents! Scraped knees, bumps on the head, and sunburns can be expected during these times but there are other dangers that parents should be concerned about. It is common knowledge that children are prone to drowning and many precautions are usually taken. Pools are normally surrounded with fences and children are always supervised while swimming in order to prevent dangerous situations where drowning can occur. However, a danger that is unseen has recently been forced back into the public spectrum with the recent death of Johnny Jackson, a 10 year old boy who was found in his bed an hour after swimming foaming at the mouth and unconscious.

Johnny was pronounced dead due to “dry drowning”. Dry drowning, or secondary drowning as it is also known, is a case of adults and children alike aspirating water into the lungs and dying after not receiving enough oxygen to the brain. The incident can occur from 1-24 hours after the exposure to water. Common symptoms of dry drownings are trouble breathing, abnormal tiredness, chest pain as well as extreme mood-swings. If a child or even an adult is exemplifying these symptoms, they should seek medical attention. Dry drowning is fairly uncommon, coming in at 1-2% of drowning instances (source) but it is important to be aware of the possibility.

Dry drowning is covered in all of our classes at A-B-CPR, and we encourage you to stay updated on your training as well as share our blog posts to inform your friends and family with health updates! We care about your family and want you to feel prepared and ready for any emergency situation. We want to put the power of life in your hands.