Each summer, at the beginning of summer, when the first bathes take place, the phenomenon of "dry drowning" invades the web and social networks in the form of alarming posts, widely shared. According to these publications, "dry drowning" is a form of "delayed" drowning that occurs up to 72 hours after swimming and after water enters the lungs. The water would then cause swelling of the pulmonary alveoli to the point of causing asphyxiation. Other information relayed on the internet, the "dry drowning" would affect most children, the development of their lungs is not yet completely finished, and the simple act of drinking the cup could cause it. But what about it really?
What is "dry drowning" and what are the symptoms?
If the WHO formerly distinguished "wet" drowning from its "dry" counterpart, it finally removed this last term from its dictionary in 2005 and ruled on a single very precise definition to avoid any confusion: "drowning is a shortcoming respiratory resulting from submersion or immersion in a liquid medium ". More commonly, drowning is having water in the lungs. That's all. And contrary to what we imagine in the collective imagination, it is not necessarily fatal or does not necessarily cause a loss of consciousness. As for what is called "dry drowning", it is in fact a complication that is not managed after a classic drowning, that's all.
Asked by the newspaper The world, Pierre Michelet, head of the emergency department of the Timone hospital in Marseille explains: "What we are talking about is often children who drink the cup, probably a lot, and then who are short of breath, cough and have blue lips". The problem ? It's that parents will put these signs on the back of a cold (cyanosis) when they actually reveal a lack of oxygen, hypoxemia, which may worsen. This is why we must be particularly vigilant. If the child comes out of the water with these symptoms, or if he has difficulty breathing, vomits, has stomach pains or chest pains it is imperative that he be seen by a rescuer, a firefighter or a doctor who can assess the need for medical surveillance. But do not panic, these complications do not appear suddenly, out of context. "That does not exist", continues Pierre Michelet, still in the columns of the newspaper The world. "Already, for there to be drowning, there has to be water in the lungs."
How to prevent the risk of drowning?
To avoid risks and guarantee your family a safe swim, systematically monitor your child when he bathes or when there is a body of water nearby. "The security measures must never be lowered. The gates of a private swimming pool must be closed all the time, even when you are two meters away", reports the professional, this time interviewed by the online insurance site MACIF. Secondly, give priority to swimming pools or the child on foot to avoid it becoming exhausted and equip him with armbands until he learns to swim. Finally, "children should not stay too long in the water, continues Pr Michelet, still on the MACIF site. Because they will get tired and risk, in the long run, having fun with siblings or others, to drink the cup ".
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