Back to life: Anoxic brain damage in a near drowning

Abstract

Near drowning is a significant cause of disability in children, with one-third sustaining moderate to severe neurological impairment. The risk for near drowning is greatest among toddlers, preschoolers, and adolescent males. Younger children are more likely to drown in swimming pools (Verive, Heidemann, & Fiore, 2007). Charlie, a 7-year-old boy, was found at the bottom of a swimming pool in Singapore, where he was living with his parents, 9-year-old sister, twin brother, and 10-month-old brother. It was undetermined how long he was submerged. He was resuscitated and transferred to a local hospital, where magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was completed, revealing no structural damage. Given the traumatic stress this event placed on Charlie's family, they elected to return to the United States for his rehabilitative services. © 2010 Springer-Verlag New York.