In the scale of fatal accidents in children, it follows directly after the traffic accident: death by drowning! At the same time, 20% of those affected are children younger than 5 years. This is mainly due to the fact that even a small depth of water is sufficient to put infants and young children in mortal danger. The so-called diving reflex can cause respiratory arrest when the face is immersed in cold water. Another problem is that fewer and fewer children are learning to swim.
What does drowning mean?
By definition, drowning means death by asphyxiation due to submersion in liquid.In drowning emergencies, the entry of liquid or mud or vomit into the respiratory tract causes an acute lack of oxygen, which can lead to circulatory arrest. In addition, there is often pronounced hypothermia due to the high thermal conductivity of the water. This hypothermia alone can lead to complications, such as cardiac arrhythmias.
However, hypothermia also reduces the oxygen consumption of those affected. This explains why survival times are prolonged after circulatory arrest, for example, after a collapse in ice. In fact, there are cases where children who have been underwater for more than an hour have survived anyway.
Important: You, as the first responder, should begin first aid measures immediately and hold out as long as possible.
What do I need to do?
- .
Recover the child: keep the child’s head above the water surface. Make sure there is sufficient self-protection, e.g. in strong currents! - Ensure that there is an emergency message. However, do not leave the child alone in any case.
- If the child is conscious and responsive: provide them with dry, warm clothing and reassure them.
- If the child is breathing on his own: Put it in the recovery position. Make sure that there are no foreign objects (eg, sand or plants) in the child’s mouth.
- In the absence of breathing: immediately begin ventilation. This measure must be continued until breathing resumes.
- In the absence of a pulse: Immediately begin cardiac massage. Again, do not stop until breathing and circulation are working again!
Caution: any child who almost drowned must continue to be monitored medically. Even a short lack of oxygen can lead to organ damage, which will only show after 24 to 48 hours or cause complete organ failure (eg, the lungs).
Infant Anatomy
The essential cause is a peculiarity of the infant anatomy. Children have heavy heads relative to their total weight, and therefore their center of gravity is in the chest area rather than at the level of the belly button, as in adults or older children. If curious children lean over the sparkling surface of the pond or rest on the wobbly plastic edge of the wading pool, they easily tip over and fall into the water. Since their neck muscles are not yet strong enough, children can hardly lift their heads out of the water under their own power.
Therefore, the same applies to the frog pond as to the simple inflatable paddling pool: no matter how little water is in it – never let children play in and around the water without supervision!
Pay attention to safety as early as the planning stage
Protection from drowning is provided by natural barriers such as boxwood or rose hedges. Landscape-fairly merged ramparts and gates are a further, besides optically delightful security. Tear-resistant nets and structural steel mats anchored a few centimeters below the water surface are also useful. Over time, they acquire a patina and become almost invisible. They are all the more effective when children fall into the water. The little ones get wet, but don’t sink.
However, children under the age of three cannot lean up on steel mats and nets. They always need supervision! The pond in your neighbor’s garden can also be dangerous, so gates and passages should be secured so that they cannot be opened or climbed over by small children. Campaign The safe house
