Brace yourselves, parents. We in the media have found another hazard to keep you up at night worrying about your kids. The phenomenon of “dry drowning” was highlighted on yesterday’s TODAY show; the episode featured the story of a 10-year-old boy named Johnny Jackson who died over an hour after he had been frolicking in a swimming pool. (“Dry drowning” can happen up to a full day after the person has aspirated a small amount of water.)
The child had walked home, spoken with his mother and taken a bath before complaining of sleepiness and going to bed. When his mother checked in on him later, she found him unresponsive, his face covered with a white spongy material.Like conventional “wet” drowning, “dry drowning” is a form of asphyxiation. It happens when a small amount of water gets in to the lungs and damages the tissue, causing the lungs to fill with water. As a result, the lungs are unable to deliver oxygen to the blood and, ultimately, the brain.
The warning signs of an impending “dry drowning” are extreme drowsiness, breathing problems and dramatic behaviour changes. Though “dry drowning” incidents are very rare, parents should keep the symptoms in the back of their minds and watch for them after a child has had near-drowning incident in a bath or pool or shown any other signs of having aspirated (rather than just swallowed) water.
Here is the link from the show that gives the symptoms & treatment:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24982210/
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