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Near Drowning and Drowning

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Textbook of Clinical Pediatrics

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Definition/Classification

The nomenclature of drowning has long been a source of debate and confusion. In an attempt to solve this problem, the World Congress on Drowning convened in 2002 and developed guidelines for the definition of drowning. Drowning is defined as “a process resulting in primary respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in a liquid medium.” In addition, terms that have previously been confusing, such as “near drowning,” “wet drowning,” “dry drowning,” and “secondary drowning” should not be used, and the term “drowned” should be reserved for those persons who die from drowning.

Epidemiology

Seventy-five percent of the earth’s surface is water, making it one of the most common sources of environmental injury to humans. Consequently drowning has been a cause of unintentional injury and death across all continents, especially in children. Drowning causes substantial morbidity and mortality that varies with location, age group, activity, and type of body of water.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, Rady Children’s Hospital, 3020 Childrens Way, MC 5109, San Diego, CA, 92123, USA

    Dr. Matthew S. Wilder M.D.

  2. Division of Hospital Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, Rady Children’s Hospital, 3020 Childrens Way, MC 5065, San Diego, CA, 92123, USA

    Dr. Erin R. Stucky M.D., FAAP, FHM

Authors
  1. Dr. Matthew S. Wilder M.D.
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  2. Dr. Erin R. Stucky M.D., FAAP, FHM
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew S. Wilder M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

    Abdelaziz Y. Elzouki (Professor of Pediatrics) (Professor of Pediatrics)

  2. National Center of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (NCAAI), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Harb A. Harfi (Director) (Director)

  3. Consultant Pediatric Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Islamic Hospital, Amman, Jordan

    Hisham M. Nazer

  4. Seattle Children's Hospital University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA

    F. Bruder Stapleton (Professor and Chair Department of Pediatrics) (Professor and Chair Department of Pediatrics)

  5. Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Woman and Infants Hospital, Providence, RI, USA

    William Oh (Professor of Pediatrics) (Professor of Pediatrics)

  6. University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Richard J. Whitley (Professor of Pediatrics) (Professor of Pediatrics)

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Wilder, M.S., Stucky, E.R. (2012). Near Drowning and Drowning. In: Elzouki, A.Y., Harfi, H.A., Nazer, H.M., Stapleton, F.B., Oh, W., Whitley, R.J. (eds) Textbook of Clinical Pediatrics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02202-9_243

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02202-9_243

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-02201-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-02202-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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