Near drowning in children

A study of 32 children with near drowning, admitted in RIMS Hospital, Manipur during January 1997 to December 2000 revealed that near drowning accounted for 0.29% of total pediatric hospital admissions. The prominent characteristics of pediatric near drowning were male sex (65.6%), age below 3 years (75%), summer season (43. 7%), residential pond (71.9%), morning hours (56.3%). 26 (81.2%) cases had varying degrees of pulmonary aspiration. Neurologically, 5 (15.6%) cases were awake 21 (65.6%) cases had blunted levels of consciousness and 6 (18.8%) cases were comatose at the time of arrival. Following cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the scene of rescue and appropriate respiratory and cardiovascular support on arrival, 31 (96.9%) cases had intact survival and only 1 (3.1%) had mild neurological sequelae at the time of discharge. There was no mortality.