Anales de pediatría : publicación oficial de la Asociación Española de Pediatría (A.E.P.)
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Multicenter Study
[Unintentional drowning by immersion. Epidemiological profile of victims attended in 21 Spanish emergency departments].
To determine the frequency of accidental drowning seen in paediatric emergency departments, to define the epidemiological profile of the victims, and to analyse the circumstances related to prognosis and survival. ⋯ Accidental drowning was a rare cause of consultation in paediatric emergency departments. In children less than 6 years, who did not know how to swim, did not use flotation devices in unprotected private pools, and were not properly supervised, there is an increased of suffering from accidental drowning and its associated morbidity. An immersion time> 10 min, starting CPR > 3 min, acidosis, hyponatraemia, and hypothermia on arrival at the emergency department increases mortality. Training family members in cardiopulmonary resuscitation can be useful.