Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionsTypesSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Definitions
Types
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Dry drowning is a dangerous situation that occurs when water causes the air passages to close. It can cause intense coughing, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, or death.
What Is Dry Drowning?
Dry drowning is a type of drowning in which the lungs of a drowning victim don’t have water in them.
Sometimes, dry drowning leads to death, and according to Unity Point Health, it’s identified in approximately 10% to 20% of those autopsied after drowning.
What Is Drowning?
Drowning can occur when water is inhaled during submersion (being beneath the surface of the water) or immersion (having the face immersed in liquid).
Drowning is respiratory impairment (difficulty breathing) that develops due to being submerged or immersed in liquid.
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Types of Drowning
Drowning is commonly described as “wet drowning,” “dry drowning,” and “near-drowning,” none of which are considered medical terms.
Dry vs, Wet Drowning
All drownings (dry or wet) occur in some type of liquid.
There is water in the lungs with wet drowning, and there isn’t water in the lungs with dry drowning.
Near Drowning
Near drowning occurs when a person is unable to breathe due to being immersed or submerged in liquid and comes close to drowning.
Symptoms of Dry Drowning
The signs and symptoms of all types of drowning usually occur right away—it’s rare for symptoms to begin more than a few minutes after the event.
Symptoms of dry drowning include:
It’s important to seek medical attention right away, particularly if the symptoms worsen or don’t subside quickly.
With any type of drowning, liquid submersion or immersion leads to a deficiency of air (and oxygen) reaching the body’s organs. The cause of death in any type of drowning is a lack of oxygen to the brain; this occurs whether or not water fills the lungs.
When water irritates the airways, laryngospasm (a spasm of the vocal cords that preventswater and airfrom getting to the lungs) can occur.
Dry drowning occurs due to laryngospasm.
Dry Drowning in Adults
The most common places that adults drown are rivers, lakes, or the ocean.
In adults, the risk of drowning increases with:
Medical emergencies while in water can increase the risk of drowning.
Examples include:
Causes of Dry Drowning in Infants
A common cause of dry drowning in infants is being unsupervised during the bath. Drowning can occur within minutes.
Causes of Dry Drowning in Children
The most common cause of dry drowning in older children is swimming in a swimming pool. When a pool is not gated or fenced properly, children may jump in.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 4 years,second only to congenital anomalies. It is one of the top three causes of unintentional death in people under 30 years old.
Diagnosis of dry drowning can involve medical tests. AnO2 saturation testcan be used to quickly assess how well a person is breathing. A chest X-Ray can identify water in the lungs.
An X-Ray can also identifypulmonary edema, which is excess fluid in the lungs that can develop due to lung damage.
Anytime a person who’s been exposed to water is coughing, has trouble breathing, or has pale or bluish skin, it’s important to get emergency medical attention.
Sometimes a very small amount of water is present in the lungs. If a person is rescued before oxygen levels decline, the lungs can absorb small amounts of water without further complications.
If you have been submerged or immersed in water and have minimal symptoms (like coughing), your treatment will involve close observation for several hours.
Lack of oxygen can result in cardiac arrest and organ danage. Emergency treatment will involve startingcardiopulmonary resuscitationif breathing is impaired or if there are signs of low oxygen.
When considering prevention measures for dry drowning, it’s important to understand that it may take only a minute or two for death or long-term damage to occur. Constant supervision during the bath or anytime a child is swimming or near water of any depth is imperative.
Preventative measures include:
How to Rescue a Drowning Person
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Unity Point Health.Dispelling myths about dry drowning.Cedars-Sinai.Is dry drowning a real danger for your children?World Health Organization.Drowning.American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians.The truth about drowning.Idris AH, Berg RA, Bierens J, et al.Recommended guidelines for uniform reporting of data from drowning: the “Utstein style”.AHA Journal Circulation. 2003;108(20):2565-74. doi:10.1161/01.CIR.0000099581.70012.68Beth Israel Lahey Health Winchester Hospital.Near drowning.Szpilman D, et. al.Drowning. BMJ Best Practice.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Injuries among children and teens.Gilchrist J, Parker EM.Racial/ethnic disparities in fatal unintentional drowning among persons aged ≤29 years—United States, 1999–2010. MMWR. 2014;63(19);421-426.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Unity Point Health.Dispelling myths about dry drowning.Cedars-Sinai.Is dry drowning a real danger for your children?World Health Organization.Drowning.American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians.The truth about drowning.Idris AH, Berg RA, Bierens J, et al.Recommended guidelines for uniform reporting of data from drowning: the “Utstein style”.AHA Journal Circulation. 2003;108(20):2565-74. doi:10.1161/01.CIR.0000099581.70012.68Beth Israel Lahey Health Winchester Hospital.Near drowning.Szpilman D, et. al.Drowning. BMJ Best Practice.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Injuries among children and teens.Gilchrist J, Parker EM.Racial/ethnic disparities in fatal unintentional drowning among persons aged ≤29 years—United States, 1999–2010. MMWR. 2014;63(19);421-426.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Unity Point Health.Dispelling myths about dry drowning.Cedars-Sinai.Is dry drowning a real danger for your children?World Health Organization.Drowning.American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians.The truth about drowning.Idris AH, Berg RA, Bierens J, et al.Recommended guidelines for uniform reporting of data from drowning: the “Utstein style”.AHA Journal Circulation. 2003;108(20):2565-74. doi:10.1161/01.CIR.0000099581.70012.68Beth Israel Lahey Health Winchester Hospital.Near drowning.Szpilman D, et. al.Drowning. BMJ Best Practice.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Injuries among children and teens.Gilchrist J, Parker EM.Racial/ethnic disparities in fatal unintentional drowning among persons aged ≤29 years—United States, 1999–2010. MMWR. 2014;63(19);421-426.
Unity Point Health.Dispelling myths about dry drowning.
Cedars-Sinai.Is dry drowning a real danger for your children?
World Health Organization.Drowning.
American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians.The truth about drowning.
Idris AH, Berg RA, Bierens J, et al.Recommended guidelines for uniform reporting of data from drowning: the “Utstein style”.AHA Journal Circulation. 2003;108(20):2565-74. doi:10.1161/01.CIR.0000099581.70012.68
Beth Israel Lahey Health Winchester Hospital.Near drowning.
Szpilman D, et. al.Drowning. BMJ Best Practice.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Injuries among children and teens.
Gilchrist J, Parker EM.Racial/ethnic disparities in fatal unintentional drowning among persons aged ≤29 years—United States, 1999–2010. MMWR. 2014;63(19);421-426.
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