Home Drowning Prevention

Water safety is important at any age, but is especially crucial if you have babies or toddlers in your home. Drowning can happen very quickly and in less than 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) of water, so filled bathtubs, swimming pools, wading pools, hot tubs, and even buckets of water and sinks can be dangerous.

 

To reduce the risk of drowning:

 

Bathroom

 

• Never leave a baby unattended in the bath. If you must answer the telephone or door, don't rely on an older sibling to watch the baby; wrap your baby in a towel and bring him or her with you.

• Never leave a bathtub, bucket, or other container filled with any amount of water or other liquid unattended.

• Never use a bathtub seat or supporting ring without constant adult supervision. The seat can overturn or a baby may slip out into the water.

• Install a toilet-lid locking device and keep bathroom doors closed at all times. (Or you may want to install a doorknob cover.)

   

Pool

 

• If you have a pool in your backyard, install fencing at least 4 feet (1.2 meters) high on all sides of the pool, as well as a self-closing and self-latching gate with a lock that's out of a child's reach

• Consider installing a pool alarm or cover, but realize these devices are not substitutes for fencing and adult supervision.

• Remove toys from the pool when kids are finished swimming to prevent them from trying to recover them when unsupervised.

• Inflatable flotation devices such as vests, water wings, rafts, and tubes can give a false sense of security in the pool and are not effective in protecting a child from drowning. Never use these as a substitute for constant adult supervision.

• Dump out all water from a wading pool when you're finished using it.

• Remove any ladders from an above-ground pool when not in use.

• If you leave your child with a babysitter, make sure he or she knows your rules for the pool.

 

SECONDARY DROWNING

 

So what exactly is secondary drowning and what do you need to know to prevent this from ever happening? Stephen Epstein, a spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians, explains the difference between primary and secondary drowning. "With primary drowning, you inhale water and you can't breathe and you die right away," he said. "But with secondary drowning, you die because of a secondary injury to the lung caused by a small amount of the water getting into the lung." Secondary drowning occurs after a victim is out of the water, and is also known as dry drowning. It happens when someone inhales small amounts of water during a struggle while they are swimming. Fluid builds up in the lungs, called pulmonary edema, and causes trouble breathing as well as possible brain injury, just as drowning in the water does. If left untreated, the consequences can be fatal.

 

Signs that someone is experiencing secondary drowning include the following:

 

• Trouble breathing

• Chest pain

• Coughing

• Sudden changes in behavior

• Extreme fatigue

 

Look for these signs if someone has struggled in the water, even hours later. If you notice any of the above signs, go straight to the ER. If caught quickly enough, secondary drowning can be treated with oxygen or ventilation at the hospital. Whereas the thought of secondary drowning can be alarming, it only amounts to 1% to 2% of all drowning cases.