Survival after immersion in water. About 330,000 persons, most of whom are children, adolescents, or young adults, survive an immersion injury in the U.S. each year, and of these, about 10% receive professional attention. Many who suffer near drowning do so because of preventable or avoidable conditions, such as the use of alcohol or drugs in aquatic settings or the inadequate supervision of children by adults. Water sports (e.g., diving, swimming, surfing, or skiing) and boating or fishing accidents also are common causes of near drowning. A small percentage of near drowning episodes occur when patients with known seizure disorders convulse while swimming or boating.
Survival after immersion in water. This term is being replaced with the term “submersion,” which is more accurate and was agreed upon at the Utstein Guidelines Conference for uniform reporting of drowning and submersion incidents.