What Is Dry Drowning And Why Water Safety Is Critical

Have you ever heard the term “dry drowning”? Although it’s not an actual medical term or diagnosis, as the weather turns warmer, you may hear it used in news reports, so it’s a condition worth knowing about.

When swimming in a pool, lake or ocean, if a child or adult is submerged, sometimes water can get into their throat and lungs. They might cough a little, but often they’re alert and conscious. Maybe they get checked out at the hospital, or maybe they seem OK and go straight home. Later, though, they can develop serious breathing trouble.

“This phenomenon is a delayed reaction by the lungs, related to the initial exposure to the water. It’s extremely rare. The patient would gradually develop shortness of breath, rapid heart rate and clinical signs of someone who is becoming ill,” explained David Farman, MD, Director of Emergency Medicine with Franciscan Health Lafayette East. “Again, this delayed reaction is highly unlikely. And it would happen within 4-8 hours after the person was submerged.” 

Key Takeaways: Dry Drowning & Water Safety

• Dry drowning doesn’t happen suddenly, as someone can experience a gradual shortness of breath hours later while the lungs start to collect fluid.
  
• Signs of dry drowning include shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, trouble breathing, constant coughing and walking difficulties.
  
• Groups at highest risk for drowning are toddlers, children and intoxicated adults.
  
• Follow these water safety precautions. Stay within arm's reach of anyone who is not a good swimmer. Supervise children around water and bring life jackets. All water is dangerous at all depths.

Delayed Reactions Can Happen After Water Accidents

Dry drowning – or a delayed reaction to water submersion, as doctors prefer to call it – does not happen suddenly. Instead, the patient would experience a gradual shortness of breath hours later, as the lungs start to collect fluid.

“For whatever reason, the patient’s lungs develop excess fluid. And it’s not fluid that the patient swallowed while in the pool or the ocean,” Dr. Farman said. “The lungs start making their own fluid, and the body has a hard time removing it.” 

A delayed reaction to water submersion looks like pulmonary edema, an abnormal buildup of fluid in the lungs that leads to shortness of breath.

“As a precaution, emergency room physicians generally recommend that patients who’ve had a water submersion injury stay at the hospital for observation for at least four hours, maybe longer, even if they’re up and talking and seem to be doing well,” Dr. Farman said.

Signs Of Distress After Someone Is Submerged

If someone you know had a delayed reaction at home after being submerged underwater earlier in the day, the symptoms would come on very gradually – within four to eight hours later.

You might observe the person having:

• Shortness of breath
• Rapid heart rate
• Increased trouble with breathing, with more than an occasional cough
• Trouble walking due to huffing and puffing

If you notice these symptoms, call 911. After a water submersion injury, people who experience these symptoms should go to the hospital for evaluation.

“It’s important to emphasize that most people who survive a water submersion incident do not have delayed reactions. More than 99 times out of 100, they go home and do fine,” Dr. Farman said.

How To Avoid All Types Of Drownings

While delayed medical reactions to drowning are rare, fatal drownings are all too common, and parents and others cannot be too careful.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 11 people die each day in the United States from drowning, and more children ages 1 to 4 die from drowning than any other cause of death except birth defects.

“Groups at highest risk [for drowning] are toddlers, children, and young adults who’ve been drinking alcohol,” Dr. Farman said. “People who have heart issues and are prone to seizures also have a higher risk of suffering a tragic injury from drowning.”

If you’re a parent, follow these water safety precautions:

• Stay within arm’s reach of any child who is not a strong swimmer.
• Closely supervise when your children are around water. (Do not get distracted by phones or books.)
• Everyone should wear life jackets while boating. Have non-swimmers and weak swimmers wear life jackets in pools, lakes or ocean water.
• Be aware that any amount of water is dangerous – even water left in a bathtub or bucket.

“There are cases when a parent is washing a car with a bucket of water and a 10-month-old child somehow falls into the bucket when the parent isn’t looking,” Dr. Farman said. “These are terrible, tragic cases. Having respect for water and the potential dangers is very important.”

If someone is submerged and pulled out of the water, ask a bystander to call 911 and begin rescue breathing and CPR if the victim is not breathing on their own. If you’re the only person there, the American Red Cross advises that you perform rescue breathing and CPR for two minutes and then call 911.

When an emergency happens, you can count on the specially trained physicians and medical staff at Franciscan Health to give you excellent care. Our emergency centers treat patients 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.