Drowning and near drowning victims in Chania area

摘要

The purpose of our study is to present the numberof drowning and near-drowning victims that have been admitted tothe Emergency Department of the General Hospital of Chania duringthe period of May 2012 to September 2013. Design: Twenty-sevenvictims have been admitted to the Emergency Department(18 malesand 9 females), aged 18-88 years old with a mean age 65.5 ± 3.75years old. 60% of them were foreigners and the rest were Greeks. 25%were admitted dead, all in seawater. All patients who admitted alivein the Emergency Department had respiratory failure. All incidentsoccurred accidentally during swimming mainly in the seawater. Thetime that victims spent under the water was unknown, while nobodyhas had injuries. 30% were hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit(with mean age: 71.6 years old) with approximately a three-dayhospitalization. Results: There was a statistically significant relationshipbetween the prognosis of the patients and their age, thedegree of acidosis and the hypercapnia. Specifically, the advancedage, the great degree of acidosis and hypercapnia, were associatedwith the admission of patients in intensive care unit. None of thepatients, who came alive, died subsequently. Conclusions: Acuterespiratory failure with severe disorders in the blood gases, are ableto prefigure the outcome of the victims. Elderly and tourists arespecific subgroups on whom drowning prevention programs musttarget.