• Francesca Peri, Laura De Nardi, Arianna Canuto, Alberto Gaiero, Serena Noli, Marta Ferretti, Gianluca Vergine, Alice Falcioni, Elisabetta Copponi, Bruna Tagliabue, Francesco Massart, Elisabetta Fabiani, Carlo Stringhi, Monica Rubini, Giulia Zamagni, Alessandro Amaddeo, Maria Rita Genovese, and Stefania Norbedo.
• From the Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
• Pediatr Emerg Care. 2023 Jul 1; 39 (7): 516523516-523.

BackgroundDrowning is a serious and underestimated public health problem, with the highest morbidity and mortality reported among children. Data regarding pediatric outcomes of drowning are often inadequate, and data collection is poorly standardized among centers. This study aims to provide an overview of a drowning pediatric population in pediatric emergency department, focusing on its main characteristics and management and evaluating prognostic factors.MethodsThis is a retrospective multicenter study involving eight Italian Pediatric Emergency Departments. Data about patients between 0 to 16 years of age who drowned between 2006 and 2021 were collected and analyzed according to the Utstein-style guidelines for drowning.ResultsOne hundred thirty-five patients (60.9% males, median age at the event 5; interquartile range, 3-10) were recruited and only those with known outcome were retained for the analysis (133). Nearly 10% had a preexisting medical conditions with epilepsy being the most common comorbidity. One third were hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) and younger males had a higher rate of ICU admission than female peers. Thirty-five patients (26.3%) were hospitalized in a medical ward while 19 (14.3%) were discharged from the emergency department and 11 (8.3%) were discharged after a brief medical observation less than 24 hours. Six patients died (4.5%). Medium stay in the ED was approximately 40 hours. No difference in terms of ICU admission was found between cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed by bystanders or trained medical personnel ( P = 0.388 vs 0.390).ConclusionsThis study offers several perspectives on ED victims who drowned. One of the major finding is that no difference in outcomes was seen in patients who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed by bystanders or medical services, highlighting the importance of a prompt intervention.Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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