My son had a non fatal drowning on Mother’s Day. It happened SO FAST and he was completely still and silent as he stood in the deep end with his mouth underwater. After he coughed up the water and started breathing normally again, we called our doctor, because I had heard about ‘Dry Drowning’ and wasn’t sure if he was still in danger of dying unexpectedly later (as seen on TV).

You can watch my interview with Dr Sempsrott here, where he explains ways to prevent one of the leading causes of death in children.

I recently had the pleasure of Interviewing Dr Sempsrott, Emergency Room Physician and Director of Lifeguards without Borders. He is one of the authors of the first Evidence-Based Review and Research Article on Drowning, called ‘Dry Drowning and Other Myths,” which was published in the Cleveland Clinic Medical Journal. (Viewable here).

One misconceptions to clear up: no one “almost drowns.” If someone has respiratory distress from going under water or being splashed and lives, it is called a “non fatal drowning.”

What is Dry Drowning? “The mass media often propagate misinformation about “dry” and “secondary” drowning, diverting attention from appropriate efforts to prevent drowning and rescue and treat those who do drown.”

Dr Sempsrott says that the care offered to anyone who drowns WITHIN THE FIRST 10 MINUTES is monumentally more important to their prognosis than anything the doctors can ever do in the hospital.

In other words, if high quality CPR is given by a bystander or parent after drowning, that can make all of the difference when it comes to brain activity and survival. This also goes for choking incidents.

Time without Oxygen = Brain Cells. Find a CPR class near you.

THE COMMANDMENTS TO PREVENT MOST DROWNING DEATHS:

Be on highest alert if you are near water with any children, even if they know how to swim. Boys under 5 are the most at-risk age/sex group.

Never visit a home with a pool that does not have a self-latching gate. Note: Mesh gates do not close themselves, so these do not count as ‘self latching.’ Kids are at an even higher risk of drowning while visiting a pool without a self-latching gate if they are visiting without a primary caregiver (i.e. a well intentioned aunt, grandparent, babysitter, etc.)
Water Watchers: any time you are visiting a home with a pool or somewhere near a body of water, assign adults to be “Water Watchers” in 15 minute shifts. The Water Watcher should not be drinking alcohol, talking to anyone, checking their phone, or eating while watching the water. You can pass along an item such as a vest, baton, or sign that reads “Water Watcher” to help remind them of their responsibilities.
Life Jackets: Make sure any child under 5 or non-proficient swimmers wears a life jacket when swimming in open waters.
Never, NEVER, ever allow a child to be at a location with water that is not supervised and while swimming, make sure adults are within arm’s reach of any child under 5/6 or who is not a confident swimmer.
Survival Swimming Lessons: There are some different techniques for survival swimming (some gentler and some more rough) and children have different personalities.

NOTE: Both life jackets and swimming lesson can give a false sense of security. Do not break any of the other commandments, even if your child has had many swim lessons or is wearing a life jacket or puddle jumper.

A pool without a self latching gate is incredibly dangerous and becomes even more so if a child is visiting without one of their primary caretakers.

As mentioned above, time with out oxygen = brain cell death. Learn CPR ASAP.

Every time you have an encounter with water without injury or drowning, give yourself a pat on the back. It is no accident. Some planning and preparation can make the difference between life and death.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CHILD DROWNS:

“If your child coughs up water, or sputters immediately after leaving water, odds are the lungs will soon relax back down, and the symptoms will cease. If they continue or worsen, please seek medical care” (NotOutOfTheWater.com is an amazing resource with easy to learn infographics).

When to worry: Dr Sempsrott explains that you should be worried if someone has submerged or been immersed in water, and they are having more of a response than sitting at the dinner table and having water go “down the wrong pipe.” If so, or you are concerned, please seek medical attention.

Be sensitive to behavior changes: If your child shows any of these symptoms,

persistent cough

chest pain

trouble breathing

low energy

extremely sleepy

or seems irritable

shortly after they've left water, seek medical help immediately.

A chest X-ray may be needed to make an assessment and the child may need to be given oxygen and observed for a few hours.

Costco had These Hyperite life jackets recently and we grabbed two for our upcoming trip to a lake.

Summer is synonymous with water in our family, but it deserves reverence and preparation to enjoy safely.

Drowning 101