Drowning and near drowning in children in the United Kingdom: lessons for prevention.

Kemp, AM; Sibert, Jonathan Richard

doi:10.1136/bmj.304.6835.1143

Cited by 82 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Although data are not presented on the site of drowning by age, previous studies in the United Kingdom and other industrialised countries provide a consistent picture. Infants are most likely to drown in the home (usually in a bathtub); toddlers in bodies of water close to the home such as swimming pools or ponds; and older children in natural bodies of water such as lakes and rivers, generally located away from the home 4 5 6. Although data from developing countries are sparse, developmental capabilities of children are likely to lead to comparable patterns.…”

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confidence: 99%

Childhood drowning is a global concern

Brenner

2002

BMJ

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confidence: 99%

Childhood drowning is a global concern

Brenner

2002

BMJ

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“…1,3 Roughly 80% of the children with near-drowning histories are admitted for at least one day, and 40%-50% of the cases die, with as many as 20% of the survivors suffering severe permanent disability. [4][5][6] Residential swimming pools continue to be the most common place for immersion injuries, particularly in preschool children.…”

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confidence: 99%

Pediatric Near Drowning: The Experience of King Khalid University Hospital

Al-Mofadda

Nassar

Alturki

et al. 2001

Annals of Saudi Medicine

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Background:The purpose of the study was to evaluate the outcome of warm pediatric near drowning, and assess possible predictors of the outcome. Subjects and Methods: The study was performed at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Twenty-eight cases of pediatric near drowning (one to 13 years of age) over a 10-year period ending June 1998, were reviewed retrospectively. Multiple variables during the prehospital and the hospital stages were evaluated to assess their effect on the outcome. Results: None of the patients' families had official training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Only one of the 21 private swimming pools had features compatible with swimming pool safely regulations. Eleven patients (39.3%) died in the pediatric intensive care, and 17 (60.7%) were discharged alive. Submersion time of >5 minutes and the emergency room documentation of absence of vital signs, Glasgow Coma Scale of ≤4, arterial pH of ≤7.0 and blood sugar of ≥10 mmol/L all predicted bad outcome, with a statistical significance (P< 0.05). Conclusion: This audit highlighted major concerns about our prehospital medical care, general population basic life support education and our society's adherence to swimming pool safety regulations. It demonstrated that hypothermia on arrival to the emergency department in warm near-drowning victims is likely to be associated with bad outcome. The audit results also agree with the opinion of not aggressively intervening or prolonging aggressive intervention in warm near-drowning cases presenting with bad prognostic outcome. Drowning is a preventable catastrophic accident. It is the fourth leading cause of death for children younger than 19 years of age, and the single leading cause of injury death for children under 5 years of age in the US.1,2 A rate of drowning of between 0.7 and 2.9 per 100,000 children younger than 19 years has been reported. 1,3 Roughly 80% of the children with near-drowning histories are admitted for at least one day, and 40%-50% of the cases die, with as many as 20% of the survivors suffering severe permanent disability. [4][5][6] Residential swimming pools continue to be the most common place for immersion injuries, particularly in preschool children. 2,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] The total annual economic losses due to swimming pool drowning and near drowning of young children in the United States are estimated to be between $450 and $650 million. 13 Adherence to safety precautions for residential swimming pools, such as four-sided fencing, is estimated to have prevented 50%-90% of swimming pool immersion injuries. 4,[14][15][16][17][18] Near-drowning cases in Saudi Arabia do not get the deserved publicity from the media or from pediatricians. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first audit tackling the issue of neardrowning of children in Saudi Arabia. Subjects and MethodsA retrospective case review study was conducted to evaluate near-drowning cases managed at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in Riyadh, Saudi...

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“…Children, males, and African Americans have significantly higher mortality rates from drowning than other groups 1–3 16. Lapses in parental supervision are the most commonly cited contributing factor in childhood drownings 17 18. Higher mortality rates in males have been attributed to greater exposure to aquatic environments, more alcohol use, and a greater tendency towards risk taking 3.…”

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confidence: 99%