How to drown

Drowning is a fallen person suffocates due to water filling the mouth and nasal cavity or laryngeal spasm, often due to the patient's continuous struggle will aggravate the suffocation, and hypoxia and coma occurs. If water continues to be inhaled into the lungs, the patient can die due to lack of oxygen. The following methods can be used to give first aid to a drowning patient.

Self-rescue for drowning victims

The drowning person should pay attention to keep his head awake when drowning, do not struggle indiscriminately, try to relax the body, in addition to calling for help, he should also pay attention to adopt a supine position with his head backward, so that he can expose his mouth and nose to the water and keep himself breathing. Breathing method should also be shallow exhalation, deep inhalation way to carry out.

Back rescue drowning people

After finding someone in the water, rescuers should take off their clothes and shoes and socks as much as possible, swim quickly to the vicinity of the drowning person, hold his right hand from behind the drowning person with his left hand between his left arm and body, so that the drowning person can face upward, the mouth and nose can be exposed to the water, and then use the backstroke to drag to the shore. If the rescuer swimming skills are limited, be sure to pay attention to do their own safety protection before going into the water, using life jackets, foam boards, ropes, boards and so on to rescue.

Remove foreign bodies from the mouth

After the drowning person is rescued to shore must pay attention to quickly help remove foreign bodies in their mouths, to ensure that the drowning person's airway is open and can breathe smoothly. In particular, pay attention to see if the drowning person is wearing movable dentures, so that they do not fall into the trachea. If there is a foreign body in the throat of the drowning person, you can pat the back of the drowning person with force to pat out the foreign body. If necessary, you can also untie the drowning person's collar, strap, belt, etc., to help the drowning person breathe better.

Water control rescue

After the drowning person is rescued to shore, if there is still breathing and heartbeat, it must be lifted up prone on the shoulders of the rescuer, abdomen can be close to the shoulders of the rescuer, keep the head and feet after the natural sag, to help the drowning person respiratory tract, lungs, stomach water can flow out naturally. You can also use the natural slope on the ground, the drowning head downward and so on, must help drowning people to discharge the water in the body, so that their lungs, airways can move to help breathing.

Chest cardiac compressions

If the drowning victim's vital signs are weak after being rescued, external chest cardiac compressions must be performed immediately after the above steps are carried out quickly to help the heart recover its pumping function by indirectly helping it contract and stretch, thus restoring the heartbeat. In addition, chest compressions can be performed in combination with oral respiration.

Artificial respiration

Artificial respiration rescue method is suitable for drowning people with a weak heartbeat or after the heartbeat, breathing has stopped, especially drowning people stopped breathing and heartbeat, artificial respiration should be implemented as soon as possible, and do not easily give up efforts. Commonly used artificial respiration methods are mouth-to-mouth blowing method: the drowning person lying on his back flat on the ground, under its neck pad some clothing, head slightly so that the airway straight after the rescuer pinched the drowning person's nose, holding its jaw with one hand, vigorously blow into the lungs of the drowning person. Artificial respiration is best to allow professional lifeguards for professional rescue. In addition, it can be carried out together with chest cardiac compressions.

Post-rescue treatment

If the drowning victim has recovered heartbeat and breathing after the first aid, you should help him/her wipe his/her body with hot towels and cover him/her with blankets, quilts, etc. to keep warm. After the drowning person is awake, he or she can drink a cup of hot water and so on, and also can be sent to a nearby hospital for further observation to avoid delaying pulmonary complications.