Citation

Misseri G, Pierucci P, Bellina D, Ippolito M, Ingoglia G, Gregoretti C. Pulmonology 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.pulmoe.2022.12.006

PMID

36907818

Abstract

Lung injury associated with drowning is mainly caused by the aspiration of water, which promotes a disruption of the alveolar-capillary endothelium and surfactant integrity, leading to an acute respiratory distress (ARDS)-like syndrome.1 Although drowning is a common cause of death,2 there is still a lack of evidence regarding the management of drowned patients. Current treatment guidelines are retrieved and adapted from other acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) conditions. This may be due because drowning is neither a common cause of Emergency Department (ED) access nor Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission.3 Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and High Flow Nasal Oxygen (HFNO) therapy4 might be beneficial in these circumstances, potentially reducing the need for intubation in drowning related AHRF.

We report a case of a 29-year-old woman admitted to the Emergency Department of "Fondazione Istituto G. Giglio" Hospital of Cefalù, Palermo (Italy) after having experienced a severe AHRF following a near-fatal salt-water drowning. Written informed consent was obtained from the patient before clinical data publication. The patient was found unconscious during a snorkeling session, with her face lying submersed in water. A Grade 5 of the drowning severity classification was assigned to the patient, and basic life support was immediately initiated...

Language: en