Dry drowning..

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

"Malang tidak berbau"
Siapa sangka kasih seorang ibu membawa anak lelakinya yang berusia 10 tahun berenang di kolam renang berhampiran rumah mereka, akhirnya mengundang bencana dan dugaan tidak diduga.

"He (the son)looked quite pale when he came out from the pool. The, he asked me to go to the wash room.
"Are you alright? Do you want me to accompany you?"..I asked him.
"No mom, thanks," replied my son..
Then, we went home. He wanted to have some rest and went to his bedroom.
I entered his room and asked him whether he fine or not. And again, he said, he's fine.
I know that something was not good. A couple of hours later, I entered his room and I saw bubbles on his mouth. I was shocked and brought him to the hospital straight away.
The doc told me that my son couldn't be saved. The cause of death was 'dry drowning' and this is my first time coming to this pool after the tragedy.."

Begitulah kisah yang diceritakan oleh Cassandra, yang kehilangan anaknya 3 tahun yang lalu akibat 'dry drowning'.

Saya berkongsi kisah ini kerana merasakan bahawa isu ini bukanlah sesuatu yang boleh dipandang enteng walaupun kepada yang masih berkeluarga (jangan lupa adik - adik ataupun anak saudara di rumah). Lebih - lebih lagi, ramai ibubapa yang inginkan agar anak mereka belajar berenang dan lebih lasak pada usia yang lebih muda. Bahkan, ajaran Islam sendiri menggalakkan supaya ibubapa mengajar anak mereka berenang..

Kisah ini, saya peroleh daripada rancangan Oprah. Saya kongsikan di sini penerangan yang dibrikan oleh Dr Oz (Dr Oz is actually a cardiac surgeon, and he works together woth Oprah in her TV shows).

" It's ok if your kids swallow the water into their mouth. But the problem arises when your kids aspirate the water(even a very tiny amount) into their nose. What happen is that,the water will get into their lungs. Our lungs contain soapy substances (surfactant) that help our lungs to expand optimally when we breath in. The water gets into the lungs, dilutes the soapy things and now their lungs cannot expand to its maximum anymore. Eventually, the lungs collapse."

Saya kongsikan juga article yang berguna mengenai dry drowning. Insyaallah, semoga bermanfaat =).



S.C. 'Dry Drowning' Death Draws Attention
Seek Emergency Care If You Suspect Dry Drowning

By Denise Mann
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

June 5, 2008 -- Recent media reports concerning a 10-year-old boy from Goose Creek, S.C., who died several hours after being in a swimming pool have left many parents concerned about the risks of dry drowning and wondering how they can best protect their children from this health threat.

To find out more about dry drowning, WebMD spoke to Neil Schachter, MD, medical director of respiratory care at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

1. What is dry drowning?

Dry drowning is basically drowning without water. With dry drowning, you are not drowning from an immediate immersion in water; it is more of a delayed effect of a small amount of water in the lungs. This can result in laryngospasms, which minimize the amount of water aspirated into the lungs. Respiratory arrest may follow, leading to an inadequate supply of oxygen in the blood, cardiac arrest, and eventually brain death.

Several other mechanisms can cause dry drowning, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is an acute, severe injury to most or all of both lungs or electrolyte abnormalities resulting from a dilution of the blood after aspirated water is absorbed into the blood, leading to heart rhythm abnormalities.


2. How long after an incident is there a risk for dry drowning?

Dry drowning usually occurs between one hour and 24 hours after an incident. A person can have a drowning incident, be pulled out of the water, be OK, and then sometime within the next 24 hours, they can dry drown.


3. Are there any risk factors for dry drowning?

Yes, there are risk factors and situations in which dry drowning may be more likely, such as if the child is not a good swimmer or a first-time swimmer. Children and adults with underlying lung problems such as asthma may also be at increased risk for dry drowning. To prevent an incident, use common sense and never let inexperienced swimmers in the pool without a lot of supervision.
Is dry drowning rare?

Drowning is a huge problem. About 4,000 people drown each year and 1,400 of these are children. The CDC has no statistics on the number of dry drowning deaths.


4. Are there any red flags that suggest a person is at risk for dry drowning?

Yes, there are some signs that a person may have a dry-drowning episode. They include persistent coughing, shortness of breath, or pain in chest. All of those things are signals that something could be wrong. If someone comes out of the water and coughs for a minute, then calms down -- that is much different than if the child keeps coughing or complaining of pain. Like the child involved in the incident in South Carolina, a change in mental status and/or lethargy may also indicate that something is wrong.


5. What should you do if you think a child is at risk?

This is not something that can be handled by a parent. Call a doctor or bring the child to an emergency room if there are signs of dry drowning following a near-drowning incident.


6. Can dry drowning be treated?

Yes. If it is caught early, dry drowning can be treated. The treatment involves supplying oxygen to the lungs and getting the breathing process restarted.

Source: Dry drowning