Predictors of good prognosis for pediatric drowning patients.

Objective: We evaluated prognostic factors for pediatric drowning patients. The association between functional outcomes and clinical factors was investigated.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data for pediatric drowning patients from the Korean Community-based Severe Trauma Survey from 2016 to 2020. The primary outcome was a good prognosis at discharge, defined as a Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 1. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate independent factors associated with the primary outcome.

Results: From 237,616 patients, we identified 406 drowning patients aged <19 years (mean age, 8.8 years). At discharge, 41.0% of those patients had a good recovery. The absence of prehospital cardiac arrest (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 98.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 32.9-295.8), indoor location (aOR, 4.0; 95% CI, 1.7-9.3), and transfer to a high-volume hospital (aOR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1-5.8) were significant independent factors associated with a good outcome. Age, sex, the intent of injury, and prehospital time were not associated with the outcome.

Conclusion: Our study identified independent prognostic factors for drowning patients, highlighting the importance of prehospital conditions and hospital care settings in determining outcomes. These findings could be useful in developing clinical strategies for managing such patients.