The golden time to save someone from drowning.
Every summer, there are many tragic drowning incidents while swimming in the sea, ponds, and lakes. If a drowning victim receives timely, active, and correct first aid, they have a high chance of survival. Otherwise, the likelihood of death is very high, or they may suffer severe brain damage as a result.
Knowing how to provide first aid to a drowning victim is extremely important.
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Drowning and the Golden Time for First Aid
Drowning is a form of asphyxiation caused by water being inhaled into the lungs, or airway obstruction due to laryngeal spasm when the victim is in water. It's a common accident, occurring while swimming, boating, and during other water activities. However, it can also happen at home, such as in bathtubs, water containers, or drainage ditches. When drowning occurs, the victim stops breathing and their heart rate slows down reflexively.
Continuing respiratory arrest leads to hypoxemia, causing increased heart rate and blood pressure. If respiratory arrest persists for 20 seconds to 2-5 minutes (depending on the victim), it reaches a threshold, and breathing resumes, causing water to be inhaled, leading to immediate laryngeal spasm, a second respiratory arrest, followed by forced breathing that causes water and foreign objects to be inhaled into the lungs. The consequence is a slowing of the heart rate, arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, and death.
To save a drowning victim, it is crucial to promptly interrupt the above processes, ideally from the moment of first respiratory arrest, which is within the first 1-4 minutes of being submerged, while also effectively treating any accompanying injuries (especially head, neck, and spinal injuries).
The principle of emergency care is to provide immediate first aid.
This principle requires prompt and correct methods with the goal of emergency care being to clear the airway and provide oxygen to the victim. Therefore, the first thing to do is to get the victim out of the water:
If the victim is still conscious and struggling in the water, throw them a lifebuoy, a piece of wood, or a rope to help them get to shore. Do not jump into the water if you do not know how to swim or have not been trained in rescuing a conscious drowning person.
Because the victim is in a state of panic, they may cling to anything they can get their hands on, including the rescuer. When providing first aid to a victim underwater, it is necessary to raise the victim's head above the water and perform actions to help them calm down and breathe.
If the victim is unconscious underwater (only attempt a rescue if the rescuer knows how to swim). Otherwise, call for help or use a boat if available to rescue them.
Immediately after bringing the victim ashore, immediate first aid should be administered. Place the victim in a supine position on a hard surface. If the patient is cyanotic, unable to breathe on their own, has stopped beating (no pulse detected), and shows no reflexes, chest compressions should be performed.
Using both hands, place them on top of each other on the lower half of the sternum and perform chest compressions at a rate of approximately 100 compressions per minute. Simultaneously, clear the airway by using gauze or a cloth to remove mucus, saliva, and foreign objects from the victim's mouth and perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
If only one person is performing first aid, perform 15-30 chest compressions, followed by two rescue breaths, and repeat this cycle of 15-30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths. If two people are providing first aid, one person should perform chest compressions while the other performs rescue breaths, continuing until the victim regains consciousness or is transported to the nearest medical facility.
Be aware of acute pulmonary edema after drowning.
After initial first aid, the drowning victim regains consciousness and needs to be taken to a medical facility for examination to determine if they have acute pulmonary edema following drowning, also known as "dry drowning."
A person who has inhaled water may show signs of acute pulmonary edema such as: shortness of breath, chest pain or cough; sudden changes in behavior, fatigue, etc. These signs are not easily detected, especially in young children who are normally irritable. If left untreated, the risk of death is high.
Mistakes to avoid
The habit of turning a drowning victim upside down, carrying them on your shoulder, and running is completely wrong because, firstly, it wastes precious time that could be used for artificial respiration to save the patient's life. Secondly, when drowning, there isn't actually as much water in the lungs as people think; it will be expelled during artificial respiration, chest compressions, and when the patient starts breathing again.
Failure to perform artificial respiration and chest compressions during transport to the hospital will waste valuable time and may cause long-term brain damage if the patient survives. This is due to a prolonged lack of oxygen to tissues, especially the brain.
