Drowning / Near Drowning

Original Date: 04/2000 | Supersedes: 04/2008, 08/2011, 08/2013, 05/2017, 09/2021 | Last Review Date: 02/2024 (Reviewed with no changes)
Purpose: To identify patients who would benefit from evaluation by the trauma and pediatric trauma services.

Procedure:

  1. Initial evaluation will be per usual Emergency Medicine (EM) standard of care.
  2. A trauma activation is needed only if mechanism criteria are met for a trauma activation (i.e. see criteria for level 2 trauma activation). Intubation by itself WITHOUT a traumatic mechanism to the drowning (i.e. not fall from height, not an MVC into water, not a boating accident, etc.) DOES NOT need a trauma activation. However, patients with a level 2 trauma activation who require intubation (either for drowning related issues or otherwise) should be upgraded to a level 1 per our typical process for level 2 trauma activations.  Radiographic evaluation of an intubated patient with suspicion of trauma will routinely include a CT scan of the head and cervical spine in addition to other imaging studies at the discretion of the EM faculty.
  3. Patients without traumatic injuries can be admitted to the appropriate medical services (18 and over to the adult services, 17 and younger to the pediatric services).
  4. If traumatic injuries are identified, then appropriate consultation with trauma service (age 16 and over) or pediatric trauma service (age 15 and younger) will be required and patient should be admitted to appropriate service per usual standard of care.