What is Non fatal Drowning

Non fatal drowning occurs when a person cannot breathe normally after being under water or after breathing in water. This condition can cause lung or brain damage. In some cases, it can lead to death.

Signs of this condition can start right away or hours later. Most people with this condition need to be treated right away at a hospital.

What are the signs and symptoms?

Symptoms may include:

• Coughing.
• Making a noise when you breathe (wheezing).
• Trouble breathing.
• Throwing up (vomiting).
• Being very tired (fatigue).
• Confusion.
• Chest pain.
• Blue or pale skin.

Follow these instructions at home:

• Take over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your doctor.
• If you were given an antibiotic medicine, take it as told by your doctor. Do not stop taking it even if you start to feel better.
• Keep all follow-up visits as told by your doctor. This is important.

How is this prevented?

• Learn to swim, if you cannot swim.
• Swim only where lifeguards are present.
• Do not swim alone. Always swim with a friend or family member.
• Always watch children around water. Stay close to them when they are in pools, lakes, bathtubs, or buckets with water.
• Always wear a life jacket when you go on a boat.
• Do not use foam toys or toys filled with air. These include water wings, foam noodles, and inner tubes. They are not designed to keep swimmers safe. Use a life jacket instead.
• Do not drink alcohol or use drugs when you are around bodies of water.
• Before you jump or dive into water, find out how deep the water is.
• Avoid swimming in areas where you do not know about the water conditions. Watch for currents, wildlife, rocks, and other hazards in bodies of water.
• Do not walk, skate, or ride on thin or thawing ice during winter months.
• Put a fence around home pools. These include in-ground and above-ground pools and inflatable or portable pools.

Contact a doctor if you:

• Have a fever.
• Have a cough that will not go away.

Get help right away if you:

• Have trouble breathing.
• Start throwing up (vomiting).
• Start making a noise when you breathe (wheezing).
• Cough up bloody spit.
• You feel like you cannot get enough air.
• You have strange sweating.
• Your skin turns blue or pale.

These symptoms may be an emergency. Do not wait to see if the symptoms will go away. Get medical help right away. Call your local emergency services (911 in the U.S.). Do not drive yourself to the hospital.

Summary

• Nonfatal drowning happens when a person cannot breathe normally after being underwater or after breathing water into the lungs.
• Symptoms of nonfatal drowning may include coughing, trouble breathing, and throwing up.
• Take actions to prevent drowning, including learning how to swim, not swimming alone, and not drinking alcohol or using drugs when you are around bodies of water.