Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment and Prevention of Drowning: 2024 Update.

The Wilderness Medical Society convened a panel to review available evidence supporting practices for acute management of drowning in out-of-hospital and emergency care settings. Literature about definitions and terminology, epidemiology, rescue, resuscitation, acute clinical management, disposition, and drowning prevention was reviewed. The panel graded available evidence supporting practices according to the American College of Chest Physicians criteria and then made recommendations based on that evidence.

A systematic review of interventions for resuscitation following drowning.

Objectives: The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, in collaboration with drowning researchers from around the world, aimed to review the evidence addressing seven key resuscitation interventions: 1) immediate versus delayed resuscitation; (2) compression first versus ventilation first strategy; (3) compression-only CPR versus standard CPR (compressions and ventilations); (4) ventilation with and without equipment; (5) oxygen administration prior to hospital arrival; (6) automated external defibrillation first versus cardiopulmonary resuscitation first strategy; (7) public access defibrillation programmes.

Methods: The review included studies relating to adults and children who had sustained a cardiac arrest following drowning with control groups and reported patient outcomes. Searches were run from database inception through to April 2023.

Need for consistent beach lifeguard data collection: results from an international survey.

Background: Lifeguards are integral to beach safety and collect data which is used for a variety of purposes, although guidelines and best practice have yet to be established. This study served to identify and characterise existing beach lifeguard service provider (BLSP) data collection procedures in order to identify the degree of uniformity and areas for improvement.

Methods: The 'International Beach Lifeguard Data Collection and Reporting' online survey was distributed via the International Drowning Researchers' Alliance to BLSP supervisors and managers.

Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment and Prevention of Drowning: 2019 Update.

The Wilderness Medical Society convened a panel to review available evidence supporting practices for acute management and treatment of drowning in out-of-hospital and emergency medical care settings. Literature about definitions and terminology, epidemiology, rescue, resuscitation, acute clinical management, disposition, and drowning prevention was reviewed. The panel graded available evidence supporting practices according to the American College of Chest Physicians criteria and then made recommendations based on that evidence.

'Dry drowning' and other myths.

Drowning is a common and often preventable cause of death, especially in children. The mass media often propagate misinformation about "dry" and "secondary" drowning, diverting attention from appropriate efforts to prevent drowning and rescue and treat those who do drown.

Comment on Cerland, L. et al. Incidence and Consequences of Near-Drowning-Related Pneumonia-A Descriptive Series from Martinique, French West Indies. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 1402.

We read with great interest the recent paper by Cerland et al. on the frequency, nature, and consequences of post-drowning pneumonia[..

The use of non-uniform drowning terminology: a follow-up study.

Background: In 2002, the World Congress on Drowning developed a uniform definition for drowning. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of "non-uniform drowning terminology" (NUDT) and "non-uniform drowning definitions" (NUDD) in peer-reviewed scientific literature from 2010 to 2016, and compare these findings with those from our unpublished study performing a similar analysis on literature from 2003 to 2010.

Methods: A systematic review was performed using drowning-specific search terms in Pubmed and Web of Science.

Medical Provider Ballistic Protection at Active Shooter Events.

There is some controversy about whether ballistic protective equipment (body armor) is required for medical responders who may be called to respond to active shooter mass casualty incidents. In this article, we describe the ongoing evolution of recommendations to optimize medical care to injured victims at such an incident. We propose that body armor is not mandatory for medical responders participating in a rapid-response capacity, in keeping with the Hartford Consensus and Arlington Rescue Task Force models.

Wilderness Medical Society Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Drowning.

The Wilderness Medical Society convened a panel to review available evidence supporting practices for the prevention and acute management of drowning in out-of-hospital and emergency medical care settings. Literature about definition and terminology, epidemiology, rescue, resuscitation, acute clinical management, disposition, and drowning prevention was reviewed. The panel graded evidence supporting practices according to the American College of Chest Physicians criteria, then made recommendations based on that evidence.

Drowning In The Adult Population: Emergency Department Resuscitation And Treatment.

Drowning is a global problem that affects all populations. The events leading up to and the sequelae from a drowning incident vary greatly based on numerous factors, but the primary physiologic insult is always hypoxia. This is the starting point for all morbidity and mortality, and it must remain the focus of treatment.

Silent struggle.

The past 40-50 years of research and experience have given us improved knowledge of the pathophysiology and treatment of drowning injuries. Still, an all-too-common event, the morbidity and mortality of drowning can be mitigated by prevention, recognition and target treatment. Old terms, such as "near drowning" and "secondary drowning," are confusing and misleading, and use of these terms should be abandoned.