Annals of emergency medicine
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The Schafer artificial respiration method, which compressed the lungs to expel water, was abandoned in 1958 when mouth-to-mouth ventilation became the primary resuscitation method. Water thus remained in the lungs, making mouth-to-mouth ineffectual for treating drowning. ⋯ The method is safe because it eliminates compression of the rib cage. The first step in resuscitating a drowning person should be subdiaphragmatic pressure repeated until water ceases to flow from the mouth.
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Although high-dose corticosteroids have been widely recommended as an adjunctive measure in the treatment of serious decompression sickness, there are few objective data to support their efficacy in this disease. An unusual case of neurological decompression sickness which seemed to demonstrate a therapeutic response to steroids independent of recompression is presented. The various manifestations of decompression sickness and the effectiveness of delayed treatment are discussed.