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Indirectly drowned Little boy dies after bathing trip later in bed
In summer temperatures, there is nothing more beautiful for many than spending their free time in the pool, on the lake or by the sea. Also the small Frankie D. from the USA cooled off on a warm day with his parents in the sea. A week later he was dead. The four-year-old "drowned" in his bed.
Deadly swimming accidents in the summer
The jump into the cool water ensures a pleasant cooling at high temperatures. Unfortunately, in the summer months, deadly swimming accidents are reported again and again. So it comes "again and again to serious to deadly swimming accidents, because swimmers overestimate their abilities or they behave carelessly in the water," wrote the University Hospital Freiburg in a press release. In some cases, the accidents are due to the fact that children can not swim. With Frankie D., it did not matter if he could swim or not. The little boy "drowned" only days after a bathing trip - in his bed.
Especially children love to cool off in the water during the summer. In the US, a little boy has died a week after swimming.He "drowned" in bed. (Image: Robert Kneschke / fotolia.com)
One week after the bath trip "drowned" in bed
According to a report by the US news channel "CNN," the four-year-old boy from Texas took his last breath a week after a family swim.
The suspected cause of death is "dry drowning," a rare condition in which there is a delayed physical reaction to the inhalation of water. According to the report, this is also called "secondary drowning".
However, experts distinguish between the two variants: In the former, the water does not penetrate into the lungs.
Parents did not worry at first
According to "CNN," Francisco Delgado Jr. and his wife Tara used Memorial Day on May 29 (US holiday) to take a family outing with their son, Frankie.
They spent the day at Texas City Dike - a popular seaside resort on the Gulf of Mexico. There the four-year-old had played in knee-deep water when he was hit by a wave and swallowed water.
According to the information, a friend of the family came to his aid. Frankie himself said he was okay. The parents did not worry anymore. "Frankie had fun for the rest of the day," his dad said. "We did not worry."
Condition of the child worsened
But on the night after the trip, the boy suffered from diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
Because the parents and their son had already been to a doctor because of such symptoms and had classified the symptoms as the consequences of a gastrointestinal infection, they initially thought it was sufficient to take care of the little ones at home.
But when the symptoms did not disappear after a week and Frankie complained of a shoulder pain, the father decided to take him to the doctor the next morning.
Official cause of death is pending
"I love my son so much and I always talk to him when he sleeps," said the father. But "suddenly he just woke up. He looked at me and took a deep breath. And then I saw that he did not exhale. "
The boy was then taken to the hospital. There, the doctors did not manage to revive him.
The medics found water in his lungs and around his heart and told his parents that he was dying of "dry drowning". The official cause of death is still pending.
Fluid in the lungs
The spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians, dr. Juan Fitz told "CNN" how it could happen.
When a swimmer is back on land, there may still be fluid in the lungs, causing edema or swelling.
From the air that passes through the water-filled lungs, the oxygen can no longer get into the blood. As a result, the blood oxygen levels drop and the heart beats slower.
"This is followed by the cardiac arrest, because there is not enough oxygen," says Fitz.
According to the expert, especially small children are affected by the "dry drowning". It is difficult to predict whether a child is affected unless it has had obvious difficulties in the water.
Symptoms within 24 hours
Symptoms typically occur one to 24 hours after the incident and include persistent cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, lethargy, fever and an unusual mood change, said Alison Osinski, President of Aquatic Consulting Services.
According to Fitz, the vomiting of Frankie may have been caused by irritation of the water in the lungs or by a bacterial infection.
After the death of her son, the family made the case public to warn others of the danger.
"My son was special. My son was so good. He was the best, "said the father. "All he wanted was a smile on my face." (Ad)