Near-Drowning in Pediatric Patients Essay -- Nursing, Health Care

IntroductionThere are an estimated 8,000 deaths per year in the United States from drowning. Near-drowning occurs anywhere from 2-20 times more frequently (for estimated 16,000-160,000 typefaces per year)7. The definitions for drowning and near-drowning have for the long-dated time been very confusing to understand. Recent health officials have attempted to resolve some of this confusion by redefining drowning as the process of experiencing respiratory lack or difficulty following a ducking or immersion in a body of liquid. Near-drowning has also been redefined as survival from a drowning event which involved impaired consciousness or water inhalation for 24 hours or more2. Both near drowning and near-drowning occur when someone experiences a submersion event. A submersion event is when someone, in this case a pediatric patient, experiences an unexpected submersion in water. When an unexpected submersion, regardless of water type (salt or fresh) occurs, the individual experiences breath hold, panic, and a struggle to resurface1. Humans, naturally, can only hold their breath for a short period of time. This prolonged breath hold results in hypoxia and eventually leads to involuntary gasping. As the individual attempts to gasp for air they sometimes aspirate7. This paper will attempt to look at the clinical presentation of a near-drowning patient who has suffered from a submersion event.ResearchIt was previously conceit that the type of water aspirated posed a serious threat to the patient and drastically change magnitude their chance of mortality. In particular, salt water was thought to be one of the more potent types of water to aspirate due to its tonicity. This previous thought that salt water was more harmful to... ...01.4. Oehmichen, M, Hennig, R, and Meissner, C (2007). Near-drowning and clinical laboratory changes. Legal Medicine101-5.5. Gregorakos, L, Markou, N, Psalida, V, Kanakaki, M, Alexopoulou, A, Sotiriou, E, Damianos, A, Myrianthefs, P (2 009). Near-drowning clinical course of lung injury in adults. Acute Lung Injury18793-97.6. Beeck, EF, Branche, CM, Szpilman, D, Modell, JH, and Bierens, JJ (2005). A new definition of drowning towards documentation and prevention of a global public health problem. World Health Organization83(11)853-856.7. Ender, PT, and Dolan, MJ (1997). Pneumonia Associated with Near-Drowning. clinical Infectious Diseases25896-907.8. Leroy, P, Smismans, A, and Seute, T (2006). Invasive pulmonary and central nervous system aspergillosis after near-drowning of a child case report and recapitulation of literature. Pediatrics118(2)509-513.