Onlookers may believe that the child is just pretending to have trouble in the water. Parents may have an unrealistic expectation of the child. Surprising is the ability of toddlers to drown in only inches of water because simple measures such as standing or sitting up are beyond their problem-solving skills. Investigations indicate that some normal survivors may have learning deficits. However, drowning is the second leading cause of brain death in pediatric intensive care units and causes the worst neurologic outcomes.
Intact survival is associated with submersion durations of fewer than five minutes.
Cardiac arrest decreases the likelihood for survival, as almost all submersion victims who present to the emergency department in cardiac arrest as a result of the event will die. The sooner the patients become alert, the more likely they will survive intact. Most drowning prevention has focused on the preschooler who falls into swimming pools. Sixty to ninety percent of drownings in children less than five years old occur in residential swimming pools. Nearly two-thirds of these drownings occur in the child s home pool.