Monday, June 04, 2012

Near drowning

Table of Contents

Follow these additional steps:

  • Give first aid for any other serious injuries.
  • Keep the person calm and still. Seek medical help immediately.
  • 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. Reassure the person until you get medical help.

Do Not
  • Do NOT attempt a swimming rescue yourself unless you are trained in water rescue.
  • Do NOT go into rough or turbulent water that may endanger you.
  • Do NOT go out on the ice to rescue a drowning person if you can reach the person with your arm or an extended object.
  • The Heimlich maneuver is NOT part of the routine rescue of near drownings. Do NOT perform the Heimlich maneuver unless repeated attempts to position the airway and to use rescue breathes to get air into the lungs have failed and you suspect the person’s airway is blocked. Performing the Heimlich maneuver increases the chances that an unconscious person will vomit and subsequently choke on the vomit.

Call immediately for emergency medical assistance if

If you cannot rescue the drowning person without endangering yourself, call for emergency medical assistance immediately. If you are trained and able to rescue the person, do so and then call for medical help.

All near-drowning patients should be checked by a doctor. Even though the person may revive quickly at the scene, lung complications are common. Fluid and body chemical (electrolyte) imbalances may develop, and other traumatic injuries may be present.


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Review Date: 01/04/2011
Reviewed By: Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)