• Hamad Alkhalaf, Meshal Zuraie, Ryan Nasser Alqahtani, Mashael Alghamdi, Abdulrahman Bin Afif, Faisal Jubran Alqahtani, Talal Jawdat, Suhaib Abusulaiman, Abdulaziz Alshahrani, and Suliman Alghnam.
• From the Department of Pediatrics, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Ann Saudi Med. 2021 May 1; 41 (3): 157164157-164.

BackgroundDrowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death among children worldwide. Although natural waters pose a risk of drowning in low-income countries, swimming pools are more prevalent in high-income countries. In Saudi Arabia, injuries and drowning are a significant threat to population health. Local data is limited, which affects an understanding of the extent of the burden and the development of prevention strategies.ObjectiveDetermine the epidemiological characteristics, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of drowning among children.DesignRetrospective chart review.SettingPatients admitted to the tertiary care unit of a hospital in Riyadh.Patients And MethodsData was collected on children who drowned (age 0-14) between January 2015 and August 2020. Cases were identified from the electronic health record system where the diagnosis was drowning. Differences in characteristics and outcomes between nonfatal cases with no neurological damage and fatal cases with neurological damage were analyzed.Main Outcome MeasureDrowning mortality and morbidity.Sample Size99.ResultsOf the 99 drowning cases, 22 (22.2%) had a fatal outcome or resulted in neurological damage. The most-reported drowning site was private pools (82%). The majority of cases involved children younger than the age of two (54%). Eighty-four cases (84.8%) occurred on holidays. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed in 61 (61.6%) of cases. A significant association was found between the delay in initiating resuscitation and an unfavorable outcome (P<.01). A high Glasgow Coma Scale score upon admission was a predictor of normal recovery (P<.01).ConclusionThese findings warrant investment to increase public awareness of the risks of leaving children unsupervised in swimming pools. In addition, there is a need to ensure early resuscitation of drowning victims by promoting life support courses in order to facilitate positive outcomes.LimitationsThe study was conducted in one tertiary center located in a non-coastal city so the results may not be generalizable.Conflict Of InterestNone.

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