How to manage Near-Drowning

Drowning or near drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The splashing,waving and shouting that we see on television is the dramatisation of such event and is rarely seen in real life . In real life there is very little splasshing, no yelling or calls for help whatsoever.
Causes
Presentation
Treatment
NOTE: For more help practice CPR skills regular and stay updated on first aid and rescue procedures by attending workshops offered by DAN Instructors. Do not rush blindly into CPR. A 20 second initial assessment of the victim is vital. Rescuers should always remember to protect themselves with proper barriers such as gloves, pocket masks etc.
Causes
- Alcohol ingestion
- Panic
- Gas problems
- Hypoxia
- Oxygen toxicity
- Carbon dioxide toxicity
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Nitrogen narcosis
- Pulmonary barotrauma (ascent and descent)
- Hypothermia
- Seasickness, vomiting and inhalation
- Marine animal stings and attacks
- Underwater injuries or entrapment
- Underwater explosions
- - Underlying medical problems – known and unknown
Presentation
- The victim is unconscious and limp.
- The skin is pale.
- The skin is cold.
- No breathing is evident.
- There is no pulse or heartbeat.
- The pupils may or may not react to light.
- Frothy, blood-stained foam may be flowing from the mouth
Treatment
- Rescue breathing at the surface, while bringing the victim to shore or the boat
- CPR
- Resuscitation should be continued until a doctor calls off the attempt because of definite death.
NOTE: For more help practice CPR skills regular and stay updated on first aid and rescue procedures by attending workshops offered by DAN Instructors. Do not rush blindly into CPR. A 20 second initial assessment of the victim is vital. Rescuers should always remember to protect themselves with proper barriers such as gloves, pocket masks etc.
Posted in Alert Diver Spring Editions, Dive Safety Tips
Tagged with near drowning, drowning, Dive safety, carbon dioxide toxicity, toxicity, gas poisoning
Tagged with near drowning, drowning, Dive safety, carbon dioxide toxicity, toxicity, gas poisoning
Categories
2023
January
March
Demo DiversCape Marine Research and Diver DevelopmentKaboom!....The Big Oxygen Safety IssueTerrific Freedive Mode“LIGHTS, Film, Action!”Scuba Nudi ClothingDive into Freedive InstructionThe Benefits of Being BaldThe Inhaca Ocean Alliance.Special Forces DiverToughing It Out Is DangerousWhat Dive Computers Don\'t Know | PART 2
April
July
August
September
Avoid Diving With EarplugsKwaZulu Natal shipwrecks: The ProduceDive in the Fast Lane with DPVsLearning from Success. Learning from MistakeLiability in ContextUnderwater Crime Scene InvestigatorsTravel Smarter: Personal Safety While TravelingDive Boat Etiquette – From Yachts to rubber ducksThe Parting ShotMismatched Scuba Valves to Cylinder OutletsPredive Warm-UpWeight loss for diversTara Panton's Cape NudibranchsRESEARCHER PROFILE: Petar Denoble: Solving practical issues for diversMonitoring Cardiac Health in Scuba Divers
October
2022
January
February
UNCERTAINTY AFTER DIVING: Case Report and Recommendations #1.UNCERTAINTY AFTER DIVING: Case Report and Recommendations #2UNCERTAINTY AFTER DIVING: Case Report and Recommendations #3UNCERTAINTY AFTER DIVING: Case Report and Recommendations #4DIVERS LOSING ACCESS TO EMERGENCY CAREPreventing Breathing gas Contamination
March
When Should the Rescue Begin?Celebrating Young and Old in Turks and CaicosScuba Cylinder RundownChasing WeedsUnderwater Smartphone PhotographyAir and a SpareUnderwater Photographer: Fred BuyleBuilding Better BalanceLow-Visibility DivingMore Than a Sore ShoulderNot Only for DivingLaryngospasm and AnxietyPulmonary Hypertension and DivingTitan Meets TitanicPool Operation: Know Before you GoThe Argonaut Octopus and the jellyfishShort but Beautiful Lives
April
A Sense of PurposeMexico’s Sardine RunHigh-Pressure Hose injuriesA Hole in My HeartGoing UpConcussion and Return to DivingMarfan Syndrome Recommendations.South African Sardine Run by Walter BernardisSouth African Sardine Run By ProdiveSardine Run Port Elizabeth by ProDiveSardine Run Port St Johns by ProDiveScuba Diving In Mauritius