Drowning in Children and Predictive Parameters: A 15-Year Multicenter Retrospective Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Drowning is a serious and underestimated public health problem, with the highest morbidity and mortality reported among children. Data regarding pediatric outcomes of drowning are often inadequate, and data collection is poorly standardized among centers. This study aims to provide an overview of a drowning pediatric population in pediatric emergency department, focusing on its main characteristics and management and evaluating prognostic factors. METHODS: This is a retrospective multicenter study involving eight Italian Pediatric Emergency Departments. Data about patients between 0 to 16 years of age who drowned between 2006 and 2021 were collected and analyzed according to the Utstein-style guidelines for drowning. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-five patients (60.9% males, median age at the event 5; interquartile range, 3-10) were recruited and only those with known outcome were retained for the analysis (133). Nearly 10% had a preexisting medical conditions with epilepsy being the most common comorbidity. One third were hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) and younger males had a higher rate of ICU admission than female peers. Thirty-five patients (26.3%) were hospitalized in a medical ward while 19 (14.3%) were discharged from the emergency department and 11 (8.3%) were discharged after a brief medical observation less than 24 hours. Six patients died (4.5%). Medium stay in the ED was approximately 40 hours. No difference in terms of ICU admission was found between cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed by bystanders or trained medical personnel ( P = 0.388 vs 0.390). CONCLUSIONS: This study offers several perspectives on ED victims who drowned. One of the major finding is that no difference in outcomes was seen in patients who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed by bystanders or medical services, highlighting the importance of a prompt intervention.

Drowning Accidents in a Spanish Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: An Observational Study for 29 Years.

INTRODUCTION: Drowning is one of the most frequent accidents in children. We aimed to describe demographic and epidemiological characteristics of drowned children who required admission to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) to identify risk factors to guide possible preventive measures to avoid severe drowning. METHODS: We conducted an observational study for 29 years (retrospective between 1991 and 2004; prospective between 2005 and 2019) that included all children (0-15 years old) requiring PICU admission after drowning. Data regarding patient characteristics, accident circumstances, and neurological outcomes at PICU discharge were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 160 patients were included, with no significant decrease over the study period. There was a predominance of males (75%), young age (60%; 1-5 years), summer months (91.1%; May-September), tourists (14.12 [95% confidence interval, 9.2-21.7] times higher risk of drowning than residents), swimming pool accidents (88.8%), and inadequate supervision (77.9%). The mortality was 18.7%, and 7.5% of admitted children had severe neurological sequelae. The initial resuscitation maneuvers by accident witnesses were incorrect in nearly half of the patients in whom these could be analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Emphasis should be placed on implementing preventive measures, focused on the described risk groups, and insisting on adequate supervision, swimming training programs, and training of the general population in safe rescue and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Las asfixias accidentales en México: un problema de salud pública oculto / Unintentional asphyxia in Mexico: a hidden public health problem

OBJETIVO: Caracterizar la epidemiología de las asfixias accidentales en México en el periodo 1999-2017. MÉTODO: Análisis secundario de bases de mortalidad, tres encuestas nacionales de salud e información del programa de inspecciones de seguridad de la Secretaría de Salud, para caracterizar las lesiones fatales y no fatales asociadas a ahogamientos (CIE-10: W65-W74) y otras asfixias (CIE-10: W75-W84), y determinar el grado de exposición a distintos riesgos en el interior de viviendas y guarderías. RESULTADOS: Se registraron 100.834 defunciones, el 44,66% por ahogamientos, y el 77,18% eran de varones. Los ahogamientos afectan a población infantil y adolescente, ocurren con más frecuencia en abril, julio y agosto, los domingos, y en horario vespertino; las otras asfixias afectan a población infantil y adulta mayor, ocurren con más frecuencia de diciembre a febrero, en domingo, de las 4 a las 6 h. Según la ENSANut-2012, 53.065 personas sufren una asfixia no fatal al año, el 26,21% con consecuencias permanentes en su salud. Se observaron riesgos importantes de asfixia en el 38% de las guarderías y el 80% de los hogares analizados. CONCLUSIONES: Las asfixias accidentales son un problema prioritario de salud pública que debe ser atendido urgentemente para cumplir con el objetivo de desarrollo sostenible 3.2. La evidencia presentada en este trabajo es un insumo que permite informar y orientar los esfuerzos al respecto

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the epidemiology of unintentional asphyxias in Mexico from 1999 to 2017. METHOD: Secondary analysis of vital registries, three national health surveys and information from the safety inspection program of the Ministry of Health in Mexico were used to characterize fatal and non-fatal drownings (ICD-10: W65-W74) and other asphyxias including suffocation, chocking and strangulation (ICD-10: W75-W84), and to estimate the level of exposure to different risk factors within households and daycares. RESULTS: 100,834 deaths were registered, 44.66% were drowning and 77.17% male. Drownings mainly affect children and adolescents, occur in April, July and August, on Sundays, during the afternoon. Other asphyxias affect children and the elderly more frequently, occur mainly from December to February, on Sundays and from 4 to 6 h. According to ENSANut-2012, 53,065 individuals experience a non-fatal asphyxia per year, 26.21% of them with permanent consequences in their health and wellbeing. Important risks of unintentional asphyxias are present in 38% of daycares and 80% of households analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Unintentional asphyxias are a major public health problem that needs to be urgently attended to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the 3.2. Evidence presented in this work constitutes an input to inform and orient efforts directed to tackle this problem

Drowning Classification: A Reappraisal of Clinical Presentation and Prognosis for Severe Cases.

BACKGROUND: Drowning is still a major cause of accidental death worldwide. In 1997, Szpilman proposed a classification of drowning that has become the reference. As considerable efforts have been made to improve prevention and care, it seemed appropriate to reassess the prognosis and clinical presentation of drowning patients more than 20 years after this first publication. The aim of this study is to provide a reappraisal of patients who need advanced health care and a precise description of their respective neurologic, respiratory, and hemodynamic profiles. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted over four consecutive summer periods between 2014 and 2017 in ICUs located in France, French Polynesia, and the French Antilles. Patients were classified according to the drowning classification system proposed by Szpilman. RESULTS: During the study period, 312 drowning patients were admitted with severe clinical presentation (grades 2-6). All patients benefited from rapid extraction from the water (< 10 min for all) and specialized care (emergency medical services), starting from the prehospital period. Although the global hospital mortality was similar to that previously reported (18.5%), great differences existed among the severity grades. Respective grade mortalities were low for grades 2 through 5 (grade 2, 0%; grade 3, 3%; grade 4, 0%; grade 5, 2%), and the mortality for grade 6 remained similar to that previously reported (54%). These results confirmed that the occurrence of cardiac arrest after drowning is still bad prognosis. Conversely, for other grades, this study strengthens the importance of specialized intervention to interrupt the drowning process. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of these results, drowning-related cardiac arrest is still the prognosis cornerstone. For other victims, the prognosis was better than previously expected, which strengthens the importance of specialized intervention to interrupt the drowning process.

Childhood Drowning: Review of Patients Presenting to the Emergency Departments of 2 Large Tertiary Care Pediatric Hospitals Near and Distant From the Sea Coast.

OBJECTIVE: Drowning is a leading cause of death among infants and toddlers. Unique physiological and behavioral factors contribute to high mortality rates. Drowning incidents predominantly occur during warmer months and holidays. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of pediatric drowning victims who attended 2 different emergency departments (EDs), 1 near and 1 distant from the sea coast, to recognize risk factors, complications, causes of death, and the educational needs of families and caregivers. METHODS: Retrospective cohort analysis of incident history, clinical presentation, treatments, and outcomes of drowning victims was performed. Data were analyzed both by age group and proximity of institution to the sea coast. RESULTS: From 2005 to 2015, 70 drowning patients presented to the 2 institutions; there was no difference in incident history or outcomes based on proximity to the sea coast. Fifty-six percent of patients were younger than 6 years, the majority drowning in pools. More of the older children drowned in the sea (48% vs 23%). Half of all patients were treated and followed in the ED or ward, and the other half were treated in the pediatric intensive care unit; 12 suffered severe complications, including 5 diagnosed with brain death. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed in 80% of the fatal group and 23% of the nonfatal group (P = 0.006). Seven children who experienced a cardiac arrest with hypothermia were treated before arrival in the ED, and 5 had ongoing cardiac arrest upon arrival in the ED (these were the 5 suffering brain death). DISCUSSION: Most of patients younger than 6 years drowned in swimming pools, suggesting that parents are perhaps less vigilant in these circumstances, even though they may remain in close proximity. Active adult supervision entails attention, proximity, and continuity. Educational efforts should be aimed at reminding parents of this, especially in the summer months.

Social support moderates association between posttraumatic growth and trauma-related psychopathologies among victims of the Sewol Ferry Disaster.

Disasters have numerous harmful effects on the mental health status of trauma-exposed people. We investigated the differences in the association between trauma-related psychopathologies and posttraumatic growth according to the perceived social support level among victims of the Sewol Ferry disaster on April 16, 2014, in South Korea. Data from 241 bereaved family members, survivors, and family members of survivors were used. The Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, PTSD Checklist-5, Posttraumatic Embitterment Disorder Self-Rating Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 were used to evaluate perceived social support, posttraumatic growth, and trauma-related psychopathologies. We found that the severity of depression and anxiety showed inverse correlations with posttraumatic growth only in the low-social support group, while they did not demonstrate significant correlations in the high-social support group. The social support level had correlations with posttraumatic growth and the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder and posttraumatic embitterment disorder only in female respondents. Furthermore, there was a mediation pathway from social support level to posttraumatic growth through depressive symptoms. This study explored the complex relationship between social support, posttraumatic growth, trauma-related psychopathologies, and gender among trauma-exposed individuals in the aftermath of the Sewol Ferry disaster.

A Review of Nonfatal Drowning in the Pediatric-Age Group: A 10-Year Experience at a University Hospital in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the nonfatal drowning experience, risk factors, intrahospital assessment and postincidental outcomes for children admitted to King Fahd Hospital of the University, AlKhobar, Saudi Arabia, over a 10-year period. METHODS: Children up to the age of 14 years who were admitted with the diagnosis of nonfatal drowning from July 2005 to June 2015 were included. Data regarding demographics, timing, season and location of drowning, presence of an assigned lifeguard, duration of submersion and transport to hospital, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, initial Glasgow Coma Scale, temperature, pH, blood sugar level, total hospital stay, and discharge status were extrapolated, and their effects on the patient's outcome analyzed. Patients' outcomes were classified into either full recovery, moderate to severe neurological damage, or brain death. RESULTS: Fifty-one subjects were included in the study; 66.7% were males, 57% were younger than 6 years, and 80% were Saudi citizens. Of the total cases, 94% recovered fully, and 6% were diagnosed as having brain death or discharged from the intensive care unit with severe neurological injury. Submersion time of more than 5 minutes, Glasgow Coma Scale of 4 or less, pH of less than 7.1, temperature of 35°C or less, and blood sugar of 180 mg/dL or greater were found to correlate with bad outcomes with great statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study were in line with results of most of the international and local studies on the subject. Significant defects have been concluded in prehospital medical care and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Adequate swimming safety regulations, assignments of lifeguards, and parental education should be taken into consideration by media and involved authorities.

Understanding the full burden of drowning: a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of fatal and non-fatal drowning in Australia.

OBJECTIVES: The epidemiology of fatal drowning is increasingly understood. By contrast, there is relatively little population-level research on non-fatal drowning. This study compares data on fatal and non-fatal drowning in Australia, identifying differences in outcomes to guide identification of the best practice in minimising the lethality of exposure to drowning. DESIGN: A subset of data on fatal unintentional drowning from the Royal Life Saving National Fatal Drowning Database was compared on a like-for-like basis to data on hospital separations sourced from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's National Hospital Morbidity Database for the 13-year period 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2015. A restrictive definition was applied to the fatal drowning data to estimate the effect of the more narrow inclusion criteria for the non-fatal data (International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes W65-74 and first reported cause only). Incidence and ratios of fatal to non-fatal drowning with univariate and Χ2 analysis are reported and used to calculate case-fatality rates. SETTING: Australia, 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2015. PARTICIPANTS: Unintentional fatal drowning cases and cases of non-fatal drowning resulting in hospital separation. RESULTS: 2272 fatalities and 6158 hospital separations occurred during the study period, a ratio of 1:2.71. Children 0-4 years (1:7.63) and swimming pools (1:4.35) recorded high fatal to non-fatal ratios, whereas drownings among people aged 65-74 years (1:0.92), 75+ years (1:0.87) and incidents in natural waterways (1:0.94) were more likely to be fatal. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the extent of the drowning burden when non-fatal incidents are considered, although coding limitations remain. Documenting the full burden of drowning is vital to ensuring that the issue is fully understood and its prevention adequately resourced. Further research examining the severity of non-fatal drowning cases requiring hospitalisation and tracking outcomes of those discharged will provide a more complete picture.

Update: Accidental drownings and near drownings, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2013-2017.

Service members are at risk for unintentional drownings or near drownings during training, occupational activities, and off-duty recreation. During 2013-2017, there were 359 incident accidental drowning episodes (includes drownings and near drownings) for a crude rate of 5.7 cases per 100,000 person-years. Compared with their respective counterparts, the overall incidence rates of drowning episodes were highest among males, those aged 29 years or younger, those who were unmarried, and enlisted service members. Across the services, crude overall rates were highest among Marine Corps and Navy members and lowest among Air Force members. Overall rates of drowning episodes were highest among those working in motor transport and lowest among those in repair/engineering or communications/intelligence occupations. The overall rate of drowning episodes among service members with any history of alcohol-related disorder was nearly twice that of those without any history of alcohol-related disorder. Between 2015 and 2017, annual rates of drowning episodes decreased in each service, with the greatest decline observed among Navy and Marine Corps members. The results of this report may be useful to increase awareness regarding the ongoing risks and effects of drowning episodes among U.S. service members.

Neurocognitive outcomes in children following immersion: a long-term study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate long-term neurocognitive outcomes after a near-drowning incident in children who were deemed neurologically intact on discharge from hospital. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study of near-drowning children. SETTING: 95 drowning and near-drowning admissions, 0-16 years of age, from January 2009 to December 2013, to The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 23 children both met the criteria and had parental consent for the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Identification of the long-term deficits in behaviour, executive function, motor skills, communicative skills and well-being over a 5-year period. Assessment was undertaken at 3-6 months, 1 year, 3 years and 5 years after near-drowning at clinic visits. Physical developmental screening and executive function screening were done using Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool version (BRIEF-P) and BRIEF. RESULT: 95 drowning and near-drowning episodes occurred during the study period. 10 (11%) children died, 28 were admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit and 64 directly to a ward. 3 children died in emergency department, 7 children had severe neurological deficit on discharge from the hospital. 23 were subsequently recruited into the study; 5 (22%) of these children had abnormalities in behaviour and/or executive function at some during their follow-up. CONCLUSION: Children admitted to hospital following a near-drowning event warrant long-term follow-up to identify any subtle sequelae which might be amenable to intervention to ensure optimal patient outcome.

Systematic review of drowning in India: assessment of burden and risk.

AIM: To examine the burden and risk factors for fatal and non-fatal drowning in India. METHODS: Relevant literature was identified through a systematic search of 19 electronic databases and 19 national and global, institutional, organisational and government sources of injury data. Search terms used pertained to drowning, injury, trauma, morbidity and mortality in India. RESULTS: A total of 16 research articles and five data sources were included in the review. Three national data sources provided counts of drowning deaths, reporting a range of 1348-62 569 drowning deaths per year. A further three national data sources provided information on drowning-related morbidity; however, each source presented different outcome measures making comparison difficult. Ten research studies investigated risk factors associated with drowning in India. Key risk factors reported were male gender, young age (0-5 years) and individuals residing in the North-Eastern part of the country who have high exposure to water sources within community settings. CONCLUSION: Drowning-related morbidity and mortality have a significant impact on India, with risk factors identified for this setting similar to those within other low-income and middle-income countries. Regional data which look beyond routinely collected data are required to accurately investigate the burden and impact of drowning, to inform targeted, context-specific approaches for drowning reduction initiatives.

Incidence and Consequences of Near-Drowning-Related Pneumonia-A Descriptive Series from Martinique, French West Indies.

Drowning represents one major cause of accidental death. Near-drowning patients are exposed to aspiration that may result in pneumonia with life-threatening consequences. We designed this descriptive study to investigate the frequency, nature, and consequences of post-drowning pneumonia. One hundred and forty-four near-drowning patients (33 children and 111 adults) admitted during four years to the University Hospital of Martinique, French Indies, were included. Patients presented pre-hospital cardiac arrest (41%) and exhibited acute respiratory failure (54%), cardiovascular failure (27%), and lactic acidosis (75%) on admission. Empirical antibiotics, as decided by the physicians in charge, were administered in 85 patients (59%). Post-drowning early onset bacterial pneumonia was diagnosed as "possible" in 13 patients (9%) and "confirmed" in 22 patients (15%). Tracheal aspiration revealed the presence of polymorphous pharyngeal flora (59%) or one predominant bacteria species (41%) including Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter cloacae, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aeromonas hydrophilia, and Morganella morgani. Despite adequate supportive care, drowning resulted in 45 fatalities (31%). Early onset bacterial aspiration pneumonia (either possible or confirmed) did not significantly influence the risk of death. In conclusion, near-drowning-related bacterial aspiration pneumonia seems rare and does not influence the mortality rate. There is still a need for practice standardization to improve diagnosis of post-drowning pneumonia and near-drowning patient management.

Dry Drowning: Myths and Misconceptions.

Drowning is a leading cause of death in children and is highly preventable. More than 10 people die of drowning in the United States each day, most of them adults. Rates of drowning are highest in children given their developmental vulnerabilities. Drowning incidents that result in cardiopulmonary arrest have a straightforward emergency clinical response, but the management approaches to the more common scenario of brief, nonfatal submersion is less clear. Clinicians must make clinical-care decisions based on evidence to provide safe and effective care in a timely manner and to help families avoid unnecessary anxiety. Such anxiety has been heightened by reports of unanticipated "dry drowning" appearing in the media. This article discusses this concept and provides guidance for clinicians. [Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(10):e354-e357.].

The Pediatric Submersion Score Predicts Children at Low Risk for Injury Following Submersions.

OBJECTIVES: Pediatric submersion victims often require admission. We wanted to identify a cohort of children at low risk for submersion-related injury who can be safely discharged from the emergency department (ED) after a period of observation. METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective derivation/validation cross-sectional study of children (0-18 years) who presented postsubmersion to a tertiary care, children's hospital ED from 2008 to 2015. We reviewed demographics, comorbidities, and prehospital and ED course. Primary outcome was safe discharge at 8 hours postsubmersion: normal mentation and vital signs. To identify potential scoring factors, any p-value of ≤0.25 was included in binary logistic regression; p-values < 0.05 were included in the final score. In the validation data set, we generated a one-point scoring system for each normal ED item. Receiver operating characteristic curves with area under the curve (AUC) were generated to test sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: The derivation data set consisted of 356 patients and validation data set of 89 patients. Five factors generated a safe discharge score at 8 hours: normal ED mentation, normal ED respiratory rate, absence of ED dyspnea, absence of need for airway support (bag-valve mask ventilation, intubation, and CPAP), absence of ED systolic hypotension (maximum score = 5; range = 0-5). Only the 80 patients with values for all five factors were included in the sensitivity/specificity analysis. This resulted in an AUC of 0.81 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.71-0.91; p < 0.001). Based on the sensitivity/specificity analysis, the discriminative ability peaks at 75% with a score of ≥3.5. A score of 4 or higher in the ED would suggest a safe discharge at 8 hours (sensitivity = 88.2% [95% CI = 72.5%-96.7%]; specificity = 62.9% [95% CI = 44.9%-78.5%]; positive predictive value = 69.8% [95% CI = 53.9%-82.8%]; negative predictive value = 84.6% [95% CI = 65.1%-95.6%]). CONCLUSIONS: A risk score can identify children at low risk for submersion-related injury who can be safely discharged from the ED after observation.

Pediatric near-drowning events: do they warrant trauma team activation?

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of traumatic injuries, factors associated with mortality, and need for pediatric trauma surgery involvement for drowning and near-drowning events in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An institutional review board-approved, retrospective chart review was performed at three American College of Surgeons-verified Pediatric Trauma Centers (2011-2014). Patients with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes or E-codes for fatal-nonfatal drowning, fall into water, accidental drowning, or submersion were included. Bivariate analysis using chi-square or Fisher exact test for nominal variables and Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables was performed. RESULTS: A total of 363 patients (median 3.17 y [18 d-17 y]) met the inclusion criteria. Drowning sites included pool (81.5%), bathtub (12.9%), and natural water (5.2%). A witnessed fall or dive was reported in 34.9%, 57.9% did not fall or dive, and 7% had an unwitnessed event. Most patients did not undergo cervical spine (83%) or brain imaging (75.5%). Seven patients (1.92%) had associated soft tissue injuries. Two patients (0.006%) received surgical intervention (bronchoscopy and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) within 24 h of presentation. Only 2.2% were admitted to the pediatric trauma service. The percentage of patients discharged home from the emergency department was 10.2%. Overall mortality was 12.4%. Factors associated with mortality included transfer from outside hospital (P = 0.016), presence of hypothermia on arrival (P < 0.0001), Glasgow Coma Scale of 3 on arrival (P < 0.0001), drowning in a pool (P = 0.013), or undergoing brain cooling at admission (P = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest reported series of pediatric near-drowning events. Only rarely did patients require immediate surgical attention and the majority were admitted to nonsurgical services. These data suggest that routine pediatric trauma surgery service involvement in patients with near-drowning events may be unnecessary.

Epidemiology of fatal and non-fatal drowning patients attended by paramedics in Victoria, Australia.

Drowning is a major cause of injury and death worldwide. This study aims to expand the evidence in fatal and non-fatal drowning. A retrospective study was conducted to investigate fatal and non-fatal drowning incidents attended by ambulance paramedics in Victoria (Australia) from 2007 to 2012. A total of 509 drowning incidents were identified, 339 (66.6%) were non-fatal, with 170 (33.4%) resulting in death. Children aged 0-4 years had the highest crude drowning rate (7.95 per 100,000 persons). Non-fatal incidents were more likely to be witnessed by a bystander when compared with fatal incidents (43.7% vs. 20.0%, p < 0.001). Spatial analysis indicated that 35 (43.8%) local government areas (LGAs) were considered at 'excess risk' of a drowning event occurring. This study is the first to apply spatial analysis to determine relative risk ratios for fatal and non-fatal drowning. These findings will enable geographically targeted and age-specific drowning prevention activities.

Epidemiology of drowning and near drowning at Karachi beaches from 2012 to 2014.

Karachi Municipal Corporation's Emergency Response Center's lifeguards save drowning individuals, recover dead bodies of drowned individuals, and provide first aid care to injured victims of near-drowning and road traffic accidents on the road along the various beaches.Cumulatively302 drowning and near-drowning 302 incidents were recorded from 2012 to 2014, with 291 (96.3%) incidents involving males. One hundred ninety-six (64.9%) individuals were saved from drowning, out of which 116 (59.2%) were saved on Sundays, followed by 31 (15.8%) on Saturdays; with 79 (40.3%) being saved during the hours 06:00 PM to 07:59 PM. Out of total 34 dead bodies were recovered, Sundays registered 8 (23.5%) such incidents. Out of the 72 individuals who received first-aid care, 60 (83.3%) received it on Sundays and Saturdays. The months of April, May, and June were the peak months of incidents for saving from drowning. Results augur the need for targeted health education campaigns, especially during summer months.

Factors Associated With Poor Outcome in Childhood Swimming Pool Submersions.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to determine factors associated with poor outcome in childhood swimming pool submersions and to study the association of bystander resuscitation with clinical outcome. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of swimming pool submersion victims younger than 18 years in a metropolitan area from 2003 to 2007. Submersion, prehospital, and victim data were obtained from hospital, Emergency Medical Services, and fatality records. Outcome based on survival at hospital discharge was favorable (baseline/mild impairment) or poor (death/severe impairment). Logistic regression determined factors associated with poor outcome. RESULTS: There were 260 submersions. Outcomes were available for 211 (81%). The median age was 4 years; 68% were males. Most incidents occurred at single residential pools (48%) and multiresidential pools (35%). Mortality was 23%; 75% had favorable outcomes. Favorable outcomes occurred in 8.6% (3/35) of victims with absent pulse at the scene. Descriptive analyses revealed significant differences in submersions that occurred on weekdays, during the summer, submersions lasting 5 minutes or more, with on-scene apnea or cardiac arrest needing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, rescuer type, and transfer to tertiary care. Logistic regression revealed that poor outcome was significantly associated with prolonged submersions and those that occurred on a weekday. Furthermore, hospitalization reduced the odds of a poor outcome by 81% when compared with victims who were not hospitalized. Bystander resuscitation was not significantly associated with outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood swimming pool submersions, which occur on weekdays and with prolonged submersion times, are associated with poor outcome. Bystander resuscitation is not significantly associated with outcome.