Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine if stable, well-appearing, drowning patients who have normal age-adjusted vital signs and pulse oximetry upon arrival to the emergency department may be safely discharged without a prolonged observation period.
Methods: Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for drowning patients presenting to a single pediatric emergency department from 1995 to 2014. Data were collected on vital signs and pulse oximetry at presentation, chest x-ray results, disposition and complications for each encounter.