How to Determine a Dry Drowning

Medical examiners determine that about 15 percent of drowning victims have experienced dry drowning. Whether it is a wet or dry drowning, death occurs due to lack of oxygen or cardiac arrest from a low body temperature. There are certain things that happen during dry drowning, which may be evident upon examination.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Determine whether the victim entered a body of water forcefully from a high diving board or slid down a long steep slide. These two activities have been associated with dry drowning. The victim involuntarily suffocates by holding his breath or experiencing a muscle spasm of the larynx.

2. Decide if it's possible the victim's epiglottis was hit forcefully with droplets of water. This causes the flap to spasm and close over the windpipe. Once it is closed, water and air are unable to enter the lungs.

3. Notice whether someone is choking or gagging while they are in or around water. It may be an indication that water has hit the epiglottis and caused spasms. This can happen in the water or after leaving the water and usually occurs 6 to 10 minutes after the water hits the epiglottis.

4. Examine a dry drowning victim, and it may reveal water in the stomach but not in the lungs. Water in the lungs indicates the victim was alive before submersion, but the absence of water indicates dry drowning or death before drowning.

Tips & Warnings

• The larynx is located at the top of the trachea and consists of muscle, cartilage and the vocal cords. The epiglottis is the flap of cartilage at the base of the tongue, which covers the trachea (windpipe). This flap prevents food and liquids from entering the lungs through the trachea.
• The treatment remains the same for all types of drowning, which is to oxygenate the lungs and get breathing started as soon as possible.

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[Haoie]

on 10/9/2008 I've never even heard of a dry drowning until now.

[brilin]

on 6/17/2008 actually, after reading what happened to the boy, it sounds more that he died of 'delayed drowning', not actually 'dry drowning'.

[achuh]

on 6/13/2008 following others' comments about the today show story, i'm curious about how to reconcile extreme tiredness (the boy was asleep; and extreme tiredness is one of the apparent warning signs) with difficulty breathing--i would think that it would be difficult (or at least appear out of the ordinary) for someone experiencing 'difficulty breathing' to fall asleep, with or without being 'extremely tired'. i find myself constantly checking on my sleeping baby after she's coughed after drinking water from her bottle. am i nuts?

[HeatherRose]

on 6/13/2008 I too was wondering what this "white frothy material" could be. I read the above comments, and want to know: If this froth could be fluid mixed with digested content-then could it be assumed that he vomited while sleeping heavily-due to lack of oxygen-and that choked or drowned him?

[Catzim]

on 6/10/2008 I too have read the article about the boy. I am confused about the diagnosis though. After looking up the criteria, it seems that a diagnosis of water toxcisity would have been more accurate. Please clarify.