Dr. Nguyen Minh Tien, Deputy Director of the Children’s Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City, warns that performing first aid for drowning victims by inverting them is very dangerous as it can lead to brain hypoxia.
A 7-year-old girl fell into a pond within the premises of Nga Bạch Commune, Nga Sơn District, Thanh Hóa, on the morning of November 1. When pulled ashore, she was completely purple, not breathing, and had no heartbeat. Mr. Ha Minh Hai, Deputy Head of the commune police, continuously performed rescue breaths and chest compressions. After several attempts at resuscitation with no signs of life, Mr. Hai inverted the girl onto his shoulder and ran around the yard several times to expel the water. Subsequently, he and others took her to the medical station for emergency care before transferring her to the district hospital. On the morning of November 2, the girl was discharged from the hospital.
Regarding this method of first aid, Dr. Tien acknowledged that Mr. Hai’s spirit of helping those in distress is commendable and deserving of praise. However, the method of inverting drowning victims is very dangerous. Fortunately, the girl survived, but she may face the risk of brain damage due to prolonged oxygen deprivation.
Inverting a drowning victim and running around will delay the emergency response for cardiac arrest, reducing the critical time for supplying oxygen to vital organs like the brain, increasing the risk of death and irreversible brain damage from lack of oxygen. This method does not expel water from the lungs and may cause stomach contents to spill out, increasing the risk of aspiration.
Dr. Tien emphasized that immediate and proper first aid is crucial, determining the victim’s survival or potential brain damage. Therefore, quickly remove the drowning victim from the water and place them in a dry, well-ventilated area.
How to rescue a drowning person to shore.
If the victim is unconscious, check for breathing by observing the movement of the chest. If the chest is not moving, it means the victim has stopped breathing, and external chest compressions should be performed on the lower half of the sternum. Coordinate chest compressions and rescue breaths in a ratio of 15:2 (when there are two rescuers) or 30:2 (when there is only one rescuer) for two minutes, then reassess whether the victim has started breathing again, whether their lips are pink, and whether they respond to shaking or painful stimuli. If not, continue these rescue actions even while transporting the victim to a medical facility.
Guidelines for rescue breaths and chest compressions. (Source: Hoan My Saigon Hospital)
If the victim is still breathing on their own, place them in a safe position on their side to allow any vomit to escape easily. Remove wet clothing and keep them warm by covering them with a blanket or a dry towel.
Quickly transport the victim to a medical facility even if they seem normal or have fully recovered after first aid, as the risk of secondary breathing difficulties may occur hours after drowning.
According to Dr. Tien, most drowning victims brought to the hospital for emergency care either did not receive first aid or received improper first aid, leading to death or brain damage due to lack of oxygen.
One common misconception in first aid is spending excessive time on inverting to expel water. The act of inverting the victim is unnecessary and should not be performed because the amount of water in the lungs is usually very small, not as if the lungs are filled with water as many believe. This small amount will be expelled when the victim starts breathing again. Additionally, inverting the victim delays the time for rescue breaths and increases the risk of aspiration.
Many people use the method of rolling in a jar, placing a child face down on a jar heated with burning straw to roll back and forth in an attempt to “squeeze out the water” from the child’s body. This method is ineffective and can cause burns.
Some victims of respiratory and cardiac arrest do not receive rescue breaths and chest compressions at the accident site or during transport to a medical facility. This prolongs the oxygen deprivation to the brain and other organs, leading to brain cell death, resulting in death and severe brain damage. Therefore, it is best to start rescue breaths immediately after lifting the victim’s head above the water (before bringing them ashore).
How to perform rescue breaths for drowning victims.
Dr. Tien advises parents to prevent drowning by not leaving young children alone at home and securely covering all water containers. Do not allow children to play alone near ponds, lakes, canals, or rivers; always have an adult present. Do not let individuals with epilepsy swim. Swimming lessons should be encouraged for children.
“If everyone learns proper out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation, many cases could be saved, reducing the number of lives affected by irreversible brain damage due to lack of oxygen,” Dr. Tien shared.
How to self-rescue when at risk of drowning.
Schools should remind students at the end of the summer vacation about safety when swimming or boating in waterways.
In Vietnam, more than 3,000 adolescents lose their lives to drowning each year, with the majority being children under 16 years old. Vietnam has the highest rate of child drowning in Southeast Asia.
