What's the difference between dry drowning and secondary drowning? While drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death among children, and fifth leading cause for all ages, dry drowning and secondary drowning are both extremely rare.
Most drownings happen in home swimming pools among children ages 1–4. About 40% of drownings among children 5-14 occur in natural water, and about 30% occur in swimming pools. More than half of fatal and nonfatal drownings among people 15 years and older occur in natural waters like lakes, rivers, or oceans.
Secondary drowning is so rare that Dr. James Orlowski from Florida Hospital Tampa estimates that secondary or dry drowning account for no more than 1% to 2% of all drowning. The affected person will appear fine immediately after the incident, but over time the water in the lungs will cause swelling or edema.
Many times people, most frequently children, appear to be fine and fully recovered and then slowly, over time, as much as 24 or even 48 hours later, begin to exhibit symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, fever and serious respiratory ailments.
The symptoms of dry drowning begin almost immediately after a drowning incident, while secondary drowning symptoms may start 1-24 hours after water enters the lungs. Symptoms may include coughing, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and lethargy.
This inhalation of water, also called aspiration, might be demonstrated in the moment it happens by just a small bout of coughing or gasping. That first coughing fit may end after a few moments. However, over the next several hours, the small amount of water that got into the lungs begins to wreak havoc.
With so-called dry drowning, water never reaches the lungs. Instead, breathing in water causes your child's vocal cords to spasm and close up. That shuts off their airways, making it hard to breathe. You would start to notice those signs right away -- it wouldn't happen out of the blue days later.
Because most symptoms of non-fatal drowning occur within 6-8 hours from the submersion, it would be important to keep a close eye on your child and watch for breathing difficulties, skin color changes, persistent vomiting, or abnormal behavior. If any of these symptoms occur, you should seek medical care immediately.
Locations where drowning and submersions occur
Swimming pools are the most common location of drowning and submersion accidents that lead to hospital admission, closely followed by natural bodies of water (Table 1).
This report presents our analysis of fatal and non-fatal drowning across Australia between 1st July 2021 and 30th June 2022. During this time, 339 people lost their lives to drowning and we estimate a further 686 people experienced a non-fatal drowning incident.
The risk of drowning peaks at the 1-2 years age band, with 66% of all drowning deaths occurring among children of this age. Drowning risk peaks at this age, due to children being more mobile and exploring their surroundings, without the swimming skills nor understanding of risk.
When you're struggling underwater and unable to come up for air, you experience a reflex called a laryngeal spasm. This spasm shuts off your airway, meaning you can no longer breathe. When this airway closure happens and no water goes into your lungs, that's technically dry drowning, explains Dr. Milk.
However, what you may not know is there's still potential danger after your family gets out of the water. It's called delayed drowning or, as the medical community refers to it, a submersion injury. While this situation is rare, it is very dangerous.
Delayed symptoms of drowning include shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, coughing and/or chest discomfort. Extreme fatigue, irritability and behavior changes are also possible. Remain vigilant for about 24 hours, even if your child appears happy and playful with no apparent problem at all.
In many cases, when there is a small amount of water aspirated into the lungs, coughing will clear it. In the event that a lot of water gets into the lungs and is not expelled, it can irritate the lining of the lungs and cause fluid buildup ― a condition called pulmonary edema.
“In addition to chlorine, which is found in most pools, swallowing some pool water or getting it up your nose could expose you to E. coli, norovirus and parasites like Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Shigella,” explained Geisinger primary care physician Dr.
But, as we all know, it can be dangerous, too. Drownings in children can occur in less than 30 seconds and in less than half an inch of water, making the need to closely and constantly monitor children in the water common knowledge.
Secondary drowning is a dangerous complication of a drowning close call that can develop 24 to 48 hours later. It's crucial to watch for signs of secondary drowning, such as trouble breathing, coughing or chest pain and to seek help if these symptoms develop after a struggle in the water.
Food and water are supposed to go down the esophagus and into the stomach. However, when food 'goes down the wrong pipe,' it is entering the airway. This gives food and water the opportunity to get into the lungs. If food or water gets into the lungs, this can cause aspiration pneumonia.
Seek medical help right away. Remove any cold, wet clothes from the person and cover with something warm, if possible. This will help prevent hypothermia. The person may cough and have difficulty breathing once breathing restarts.
Watch out for signs of dry or secondary drowning soon after children finish with water activities, and seek immediate medical care if they exhibit any signs of dry or secondary drowning. Many of the symptoms go away on their own, but it's important to have them checked anyway.