Yes, drowning is considered a traumatic event and a form of traumatic death, classified as a serious injury causing significant physical harm (respiratory trauma, asphyxia) and profound psychological distress, affecting victims, families, and witnesses, often leading to PTSD, anxiety, or depression, especially for survivors.
Drowning is usually classified as a mechanism of injury and drowning victims are considered trauma patients.
Oxygen deprivation due to drowning
In either case, the lungs cannot transfer oxygen to the blood. The decrease in the level of oxygen in the blood that results may lead to brain damage and death. Water in the lungs, in very large amounts, causes drowning immediately.
The extent of central nervous system injury, to a large extent, determines the survival and long-term consequences of drowning. In the case of children, most survivors are found within 2 minutes of immersion, and most fatalities are found after 10 minutes or more.
It is concluded that, in addition to the physical effort to keep the airway above the water, followed by the struggle to breath-hold, there is a period of pain, often described as a 'burning sensation' as water enters the lung. This sensation appears independent of the type of water (sea, pool, fresh).
It can be hard to explain what drowning feels like. People who've survived drowning have had unique experiences. But most people who aspirated (had water enter their lungs) used words like “painful” or “burning” to describe what they felt. Most people who didn't aspirate said they didn't feel any pain.
If the swimmer looks up, it would be like uncorking a bottle and the air would come out very quickly. This means that the drowning individual will have no air in their lungs to yell. That makes drowning a mostly silent event.
Friendly reminder: rescuing a drowning person (even a child) is incredibly dangerous if you have not been trained in how to do it. They will try to climb on top of you if they get a hold of you and unless you are an exceptionally strong swimmer they will then proceed to drown you.
From the initial moment water enters the lungs, the victim's body goes through five stages, ending with his or her death.
Look for these other signs of drowning when people are in the water: head low in the water, mouth at water level. head tilted back with mouth open. eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus.
The greatest permanent harm in drowning accidents is to the brain, which has negligible metabolic substrate reserves to subsist upon in the absence of continuous delivery of oxygenated blood. Functional failure begins within seconds after abrupt disruption of circulation at normal body temperature [1].
Of the millions of people who survive drowning each year, about 20% report a near-death experience (NDE): a reported memory of profound psychological events that contain certain paranormal, transcendental, and mystical features.
Brain Hypoxia and Neurological Damage
One of the most serious consequences of drowning is hypoxic brain injury. When oxygen supply is interrupted, brain cells begin to die within minutes. Survivors may experience memory loss, difficulty concentrating, seizures, or even permanent cognitive impairment.
Near Drowning Survivors may Have Serious Brain Damage
In near drowning accidents, a victim may suffer memory loss and have poor judgment and motor coordination. If the oxygen has been cut off for more than 5 minutes, the brain's neurons begin to die and coma or even death may result.
While all traumas leave a profound mark on an individual's life, there's a different level of difficulty in recovering from what's called "complex trauma." Unlike single-incident traumas, complex trauma stems from repeated experiences of stressful and traumatic events, usually in environments where there's no escape.
Extreme fear of water, the feeling of shame, aggression, depression, anxiety disorders, and constant disturbing thoughts are among the most important outcomes of stress after a drowning accident.
Drowning is not always fatal. Fatal drowning happens when the drowning results in death. Nonfatal drowning happens when a person survives a drowning incident. Nonfatal drowning has a range of outcomes or results, from no injuries to very serious injuries such as brain damage or permanent disability.
Drowning Is a Leading Cause of Death for Children in the United States. Every year in the United States, an estimated 4,000 die from unintentional drowning.
More importantly, it shows that the time to sink to the bottom is fairly short. Different combinations of variables show times of less than 7 seconds for sinking and only extremely small chest size changes could increase the time to as long as 10 seconds.
2- “Drowning”:Death due to suffocation within 24 h of submersion process in a water medium. 3- “Near Drowning”:After at least 24 hours of suffocation due to submersion in the water, the victims is survived.
Since arms, legs, and the head can only drape forward from the body, corpses tend to rotate such that the torso floats facedown, with arms and legs hanging beneath it. Most dead bodies float this way, but there are exceptions.
The body's natural survival mechanism activates, directing all energy toward staying afloat. It's why drowning victims can sometimes appear eerily quiet and motionless after a few seconds. They may extend their arms, trying to press down on the water, and struggle to control their breathing or movements.
Carers are often concerned that death will be a painful experience for the person. However, the time before death is generally peaceful. There is a gentle winding down that may take several days. The body starts to 'let go' of life.
The number one cause of death globally and in many countries like the U.S. is Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs), primarily Coronary Heart Disease (Ischaemic Heart Disease), followed closely by Dementia (including Alzheimer's), while in some regions like Australia, Dementia has recently surpassed heart disease as the top cause for females, and overall in recent reports, with heart disease often #1 or #2. Other major killers include cancers (especially lung cancer), stroke, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).