Infant drowning accident

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What is a drowning accident?

In a drowning accident, there is always a lack of oxygen when submerging in a liquid. Depending on the length of the lack of oxygen, the result is damage to the organs or death by drowning.

What situations can lead to drowning?

Unattended play by the water
For infants, a shallow water depth is sufficient, as the so-called diving reflex can lead to respiratory failure when the face is immersed in cold water.

What are the symptoms? (depending on the time of submersion)

Signs may initially be absent and appear with a delay of several hours.

The following changes can occur, depending on the immersion time:

Coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, foamy secretion, rattling when breathing
Hypothermia
Rapid pulse
Bluish-greyish skin color, especially of the lips and fingernails
Confusion or decreased consciousness up to unconsciousness, respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest and severe hypothermia.
Nostrils (quivering of the nostrils)

First aid measures

Rescue the child from the water!
Talk to the child and check his or her level of consciousness.
Do not try to remove the water from your lungs!
If the child is responsive: remove soaked clothing, dry off child, keep warm and calm down.
If the child is not responsive, but continues to breathe, it should be brought into the stable side position.
If breathing has stopped, start donating.
If no pulse can be felt: perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Call an ambulance!
Caution: Resuscitation measures should also be carried out on infants and children who are apparently lifeless. With deep hypothermia, resuscitation on the heart-lung machine can be successful even after a long time.
Carry out measures that have already been started until rescue arrives.

Every infant should be examined by a doctor after a drowning accident, as a short-term lack of oxygen can lead to an impairment of the organ functions. Under certain circumstances, however, this can only be recognized after 24 to 48 hours.

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