歪歪漫画

PARK RAPIDS, Minn. -- A 4-year-old boy from Iowa drowned with his father on May 19 on Hart Lake when their kayak overturned. That is only the closest to home of a recent spate of child drownings and near-drownings in Minnesota.

There was also a 3-year-old girl who nearly drowned on May 28 in Arden Hills. A 5-year-old boy nearly drowned on May 29 in a Minneapolis pool. A girl was rescued from drowning on June 2 in an Edina pool. A 3-year-old boy died after being pulled from a pool on June 4 in Wright County. A 2-year-old boy died on June 6 after being found near a dock in Crosslake. A 12-year-old boy was revived after nearly drowning on June 10 in a Rochester pool.

That heartbreak can be prevented by learning how to recognize when a child is drowning, how to save a drowning child and how to prevent children from drowning.

Prevention

Drowning or suffocating underwater can happen to adults and children, regardless of swimming ability.

To prevent drowning deaths, the first step is to know their causes and act accordingly. According to Healthline.com, common causes of drowning and near-drowning include inability to swim, panicking in water and leaving children unattended near water.

Other risk factors include electrical shock, concussion, seizure or muscle cramps while swimming and diving in shallow water.

According to the Merck Manual, groups at higher risk than average for drowning include African-American children and children from immigrant or impoverished families, males (80 percent of victims over age 1), people with conditions that cause seizures (associated with a 20-times-greater chance of drowning among children and adolescents), people with a heart arrhythmia and people who engage in dangerous underwater breath-holding behaviors.

In a study of U.S. drownings and near-drownings from 2005 to 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that children up to 4 years old were most likely to drown in a pool, while children 5 and older more often drown in natural water, including while boating. Most near-drownings up to age 14 happened in pools.

Drowning can happen in an inch or less of water. Many drowning accidents could be prevented.

• Keep young children away from swimming areas, wells, canals, streams, lakes, etc.
• Don鈥檛 let children run around the edge of a pool.
• Install alarms around doors and windows, if you have a pool or live near water.
• Never leave a child alone in the bathtub, even for a short time.
• Keep the lid down on the toilet bowl.
• Stay within arm鈥檚 length while swimming with a young child.
• Have rescue materials and a phone nearby when swimming.
• Never leave toys in the pool, where a young child may try to retrieve it.
• Empty inflatable or kiddie pools and turn them over when not in use, to prevent rainwater from collecting inside.
• To prepare for the worst, Healthline advises taking a water safety class and learning CPR.

Life jacket safety

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, state law requires children under 10 years old to wear a properly fitted life jacket while a boat is underway, with certain exceptions. The DNR also advises:

• Children too small to wear a life jacket should not be taken boating.
• Fastening a boat cushion to a child car seat is a bad idea. It could trap the baby underwater.
• Certain types of vests (Type I and Type II) can turn an unconscious person face-up in the water.
• Inflatable life jackets may be worn by boaters age 16 and older, but are not approved for personal watercraft, water-skiing or similar sports.
• The Coast Guard鈥檚 guide 鈥淗ow to Choose the Right Life Jacket鈥� notes there are children鈥檚 life jackets with special safety features built in.

Watch for the signs

In the Coast Guard鈥檚 鈥淥n Scene鈥� magazine, Mario Vittone wrote in 2006 that 鈥渄rowning doesn鈥檛 always look like drowning.鈥�

Approximately half of children who drown, Vittone wrote, 鈥渨ill do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In 10 percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening.鈥�

The reason, he argued, is that real-life drowning doesn鈥檛 look or sound like it does in the movies or on TV. This is due to a reflexive behavior called 鈥渋nstinctive drowning response鈥� (IDR).

Thanks to IDR, most drowning victims cannot kick, splash, wave or call for help. Instead, they snatch quick breaths as their mouths rise above and sink below the surface of the water, arms stretched out sideways to press down on the water鈥檚 surface. Most victims can only struggle on the surface for 20 to 60 seconds before going under.

Vittone鈥檚 tips for recognizing the signs of a drowning person are:

• Head low in the water, tilted back.
• Mouth open at water level.
• Eyes closed or glassy and empty, unable to focus.
• Hair over forehead or eyes.
• Vertical body position, not using legs.
• Hyperventilating or gasping.
• Trying to swim but not making headway.
• Trying to roll onto the back.
• Seemingly trying to climb an invisible ladder.
• When in doubt whether a child is drowning, ask them, 鈥淎re you all right?鈥� If they can鈥檛 answer, Vittone said, they are probably drowning.

Saving a drowning child

According to the Merck Manual, 鈥淪ome children have survived without permanent brain damage after submersion for as long as 60 minutes in cold water鈥�Children are more likely than adults to survive after prolonged submersion.鈥�

Healthline suggests the following steps to save a drowning child:

If the victim is conscious, use safety objects to reach them, such as life rings or throw ropes.
Enter the water to save a drowning person only if you have the swimming skills to do so safely. Rescuers who cannot swim often become additional drowning victims.
Start rescue breathing (mouth to mouth) as soon as possible if the person has stopped breathing.
Use chest compressions to help circulate oxygen in the victim鈥檚 blood.
Be careful of possible neck or spinal injuries. Support the victim鈥檚 head and avoid turning their head.
If the incident took place in cold water, remove the victim鈥檚 wet clothing and cover them in warm blankets or clothing to prevent hypothermia.
Chances of surviving near-drowning without permanent brain or lung damage are improved by young age, as well as cold water temperature, brief duration underwater, and most importantly, beginning resuscitation immediately.

鈥淓ven if a person has been underwater for a long time,鈥� Healthline says, 鈥渋t may still be possible to resuscitate them. Do not make a judgment call based on time. Call 911 and perform CPR. You may save a life.鈥�