Drowing
Drowning is America's fourth leading cause of accidental death, accounting for about 7000 casualties per year.
A drowning swimmer often panics, making it dangerous for another swimmer to attempt a rescue lest he be pulled under the water. Better than a person to- person rescue is to throw the swimmer a rope or life preserver or give him an oar or pole.
If the person in danger has been injured, great caution should be used in removing him. It is relatively easy to keep the average person afloat with his mouth and nose above water; however, once attempt is made to remove him, the buoyancy of the water is lost and the struggle to lift him may aggravate his injury. It is sometimes better, therefore, to keep an injured person afloat until suitable equipment arrives even though this means giving mouth-to-mouth respiration while the victim is still in the water.
To remove an injured person from the water, place a firm stretcher, wooden door, or wide plank underneath him to keep his body straight while he is being lifted out.
Many factors may contribute to the hazard of drowning, even with experienced swimmers. One is "hyperventilation," which threatens a swimmer when he takes several deep breaths just before swimming under water, thereby releasing from his body a large portion of carbon dioxide which otherwise would stimulate his breathing. Thus the swimmer loses his desire to breathe and may lose consciousness while still holding his breath.
Another circumstance in which this may occur is that of diving repeatedly with short time intervals between dives. Here again the diver may breathe so vigorously between dives as to nearly rid his body of carbon dioxide, lose his urge to breathe, and lose consciousness while under water.
WHAT TO DO
If there is anyone else at the scene, send him for help. Do not leave the victim yourself but stay with him and keep, him breathing.
1. Keep the victim breathing even' while the victim is still in the water and while he is being transported to the hospital. If the victim is breathing on his own, good.
2. If the victim is not breathing, begin artificial respiration at once. Allow not more than ten seconds for cleaning debris or mucus or water out of his mouth; then begin mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
3. Place the victim's head chin up. This tends to keep the passages open so that air can enter his lungs.
4. Fill your own lungs with air and breathe this into the victim's mouth, holding his nostrils closed by your cheek against them or by your thumb and finger. This should cause the victim's chest to expand. If the victim is a child, remember that the lung capacity is small. Be careful not to overinflate them, but give small, short puffs. Do not waste time trying to empty the victim's lungs before you begin to breathe into his mouth.
5. If the victim's mouth is clenched shut, separate his lips and breathe into his mouth anyway, allowing your breath to pass between his teeth. After filling the victim's lungs with your own breath, take your mouth away from his while he expels the air. This he will do on his own without your compressing his chest.
6. If the victim vomits, turn his head to one side, clean out his mouth as quickly as possible, and continue breathing air into his lungs. Vomiting indicates the victim is short on oxygen, and he may have swallowed water, which is now being expelled.
7. Drowning persons commonly have convulsions. Do not let this alarm you, and do not let it interrupt the mouth to- mouth resuscitation longer than necessary.
8. When a rescue squad arrives, allow them to take over. They will administer pure oxygen to the victim.
9. While continuing mouth-to-mouth respiration, feel high on the side of the victim's neck for the pulsation of his carotid arteries. If you feel none, the victim's heart may have stopped. Then you or someone helping you must stimulate heart action. This is done by placing the heel of one hand, reinforced by the heel of the other on top of it, over the lower part of the victim's breastbone, applying pressure about once every second sufficiently firm to depress the breastbone two inches (for an adult). Relax the pressure completely between strokes. If the victim is a baby, be gentle. (See precaution under Heart, Resuscitation of.) To make sure you are timing the application of pressure correctly count out loud, "One little second, two little seconds, three little seconds." If you have an assistant, make sure that the mouth-to-mouth breathing is not interrupted during this procedure. If you work alone, compress the breastbone twelve times, then take time out to blow air into the victim's lungs twice. Then repeat the procedure.
Continue attempting to revive a victim of drowning for at least an hour before giving him up as dead.
A person rescued from drowning in salt water has lost body fluid from osmotic action of the saltwater. He therefore needs water given him by mouth. In a freshwater accident the rescued person does not need additional water.
A person saved from drowning still needs care, preferably in a hospital, for hours or days after the incident.
