General Overview

• A dry drowning is a term that refers to the inability of a person's lungs to extract oxygen from the air due to various reasons, including muscular paralysis, overdose of free water (i.e., drinking too much water, which causes excess fluid to enter the lung's cells), breathing a gas other than oxygen for too long and a puncture wound to the torso. The term also refers to a type of "drowning" death that does not involve immersion in water or any other type of fluid. It can occur due to an illness or accident, and can even be induced through torture by repeated immersions of a person in water or any type of liquid. In cases of dry drowning when the victim has indeed been in water, very little fluid is found in the lungs during the autopsy.
  
  

How It Happens

• Dry drowning is typically a result of a laryngospasm, which occurs due to an involuntary contraction of the laryngeal cords. The cords contract when they detect the entrance of water or some other type of liquid, which results in a temporary blocking of oxygen from entering the lungs. Thus, even a near-drowning accident may lead to dry drowning and death due to the laryngeal cords contracting when even the smallest amount of water threatens to enter the lungs. When the larynx shuts itself, the entrance of oxygen into the lungs is disrupted. However, the heart continues to pump blood into the lungs, and some of the blood enters the airspace in the lungs. Eventually, the person either drowns in their own fluids or dies due to hypoxia.
  
  

Prevention

• The first step toward the prevention of dry drowning is noticing the signs and symptoms as they happen. Some tell-tale symptoms include ingesting small amounts of water while swimming, persistent coughing, shallow breathing, shortness of breath, chest pain, confusion, anxiety, sudden lack of energy and unexplainable tiredness. If any of these symptoms persist after swimming, it is imperative that the person seek medical help. It's also important to note that the symptoms of dry drowning will not go away on their own over time. They will ultimately result in death, and the best way to treat dry drowning is to go to the hospital and have professionals remove the water from the lungs.