You’ve just pulled your son out of the swimming pool, and he’s coughing. He’s okay, though, and you’re glad your sharp eye served you well. A few hours later, he’s having problems breathing, coughing loudly and feeling lethargic. Should you call your pediatrician?
The answer is yes. While it is a rare phenomenon, these symptoms may indicate dry drowning, a delayed form of drowning called pulmonary edema, which results from water seeping out of the bloodstream and into the lungs.
“Any excess water, whether from the pool or from within the body, that becomes caught in the lungs can impede breathing,” says Bo Kennedy, MD, professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine pediatrician on staff at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “Parents should remember to seek help immediately any time a child has problems breathing, especially after being rescued while swimming.”
Dr. Kennedy recommends watching children closely for 24 hours following a near-drowning incident and going directly to the emergency department if the child begins showing difficulty breathing. Parents also should closely supervise their children around swimming pools and keep new swimmers out of deep water in order to avoid potentially dangerous situations.
For more information about water safety, call 314.454.KIDS (5437) or 800.678.KIDS.