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Coastal communities as the first rescuers to provide assistance to drowning victims, it is necessary to understand basic life support for handling drowning victims, this is to prevent mistakes, thus it is necessary to provide counseling by means of role-play regarding basic life assistance. Objective: Increase the knowledge of coastal communities in handling drowning victims with the role-play counseling method for basic life support. Method: This research is quasi-experimental with a one-group pretest-posttest design. The sample is ordinary people living in coastal areas with 30 respondents selected by purposive sampling. The instrument uses questionnaires, leaflets, and power points containing basic life support material. Statistical management uses the Paired Sample T-Test with a significance level of ( 0.05). Results: this study found that the p-value = 0.000 with (α

Drowning is the number one cause of unintentional injury death on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. Steep submarine slopes, large waves, and variable coastlines combine to create hazardous conditions year round. Most victims (3/4) have been visitors (avg. age 46.2 years; 85% male), dying at more than 40 coastal locali- ties. From 1970 to 2009, 300 people died at the island's coastline, the death rate increasing from 5.5/yr (1970-79) to 10.1/yr (2000-09). Paradoxically, the number of lifeguards increased from a handful at two 1970s stations to 45 at 10 stations by 2009. Kauai County provides lifeguards; the State of Hawaii emphasizes liability protection with an abundance of relatively uninformative warning signs. The tourism industry provides little direct information as to the hazardous nature of the alluring coastline. A paradigm shift in water safety/drowning prevention is proposed emphasizing informative site-specific and hazard-specific signage at both the many unguarded and guarded hazardous localities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review the paper by Hunsucker and Davison published in the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education in 2010. The authors' two-part goal was to describe a protocol they named "in-water intervention" (IWI) that uses abdominal thrusts (ATs) and to report on its effectiveness at assisting drowning victims in waterparks. We identify serious shortcomings in the paper's methodology, interpretation and use of the literature, and ethical principles. We conclude that their primary assertions were unsubstantiated by the evidence they presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes that the teaching of beginner swimming should be organized according to the causes of drowning. We surveyed drowning reports, interviewed drowning survivors, and observed simulated drowning victims to determine common characteristics associated with drowning. We also reviewed 25 swimming instructional programs offered by well-recognized national programs from 18 separate countries and identified 8 common beginning swimming skills. These skills could be closely connected with the causes of drowning. We proposed a definition for being able to swim that should be given common international acceptance so that learning to swim can actually provide skills needed for preventing drowning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article concentrates on several aspects of how lifeguards see and recognize a victim, including vision and signal detection. Lifeguards need to reinforce the skills of how and what to look for by using a simulation device or exercise. The application of geometry and visual physiology to the job of lifeguards helps improve lifeguarding skills.

The article discusses the published decisions of the court of appeals concerning headfirst entry into water as a sport or recreational interest. It aims to provide the aquatic community with the knowledge of headfirst entry litigation and to improve the efforts in making the aquatic environment safe. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System estimates that 150,553 people sustained injuries in swimming pools, while the National Safety Council found drowning as the major cause of death.

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in time that it will take a rescuer to swim different distances to a near-drowning victim with a rescue tube, using preferred YMCA and American Red Cross approach methods. The skills that were timed included YMCA and Red Cross approach skills with a rescue tube using the modified breaststroke and front-crawl stroke. Three different events were timed using the two different approach strokes, for a total of 10 trials. It was assumed that the victim in this study was a passive victim facing away from the rescuer. This positioning was adopted to equalize the approach distance for both the YMCA and Red Cross in order to eliminate the requirement of swimming behind the victim in all Red Cross approaches. Because the victim's back was toward the rescuer, the approach method was directly from the rear. A comparison of mean times was also made between the lifeguard and nonlifeguard groups. In four out of five comparisons between Red Cross and YMCA methods, the YMCA method was faster (p < .05). It was concluded that the rescue tube resulted in increased water resistance when it was positioned across the rescuer's chest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the economic impact of drowning in U.S. inland lakes and rivers. It is estimated that the lifetime cost of fatal and nonfatal drownings per injured person was highest for adolescents and young adults. At an average cost of more than $500,000 per person, nearly $17 million would be saved for every 1% of those people rescued by a lifeguard.

The article discusses the migration crisis involving the entry of African migrants from Nigeria and Libia to Europe and the launch of “Operation Sophia” “anti-trafficking” program, the naval intervention deployed by the Spanish ship Cantabria, a vessel docked in the European Union (EU) in the Central Southern Mediterranean to disrupt “the business model of human smuggling and trafficking” while “protecting life at sea.”

An image of drowned Syrian toddler, Aylan Kurdi, was popularly shared through social media and this promoted a surge of solidarity with Syrian refugees in September 2015. However, this response was not sustained. We explore the role of social media engagement in the emergence of solidarity and its decline (compassion fade). We collected data when sympathy for refugees was peaking (September 2015), and I year later. Latent change score modeling (N = 237) showed that engagement with the image through social media allowed people to form a pro-refugee group consciousness that acted as the proximal predictor of solidarity. However, reductions in the same factors explain the reduced commitment 1 year later. Distress predicted the reductions in social media engagement. The results support the power of social media to ignite world-changing action, but caution that online engagement may dissipate in the face of ongoing challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Objective: Both drowning and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) are diagnoses of exclusion with predominantly nonspecific autopsy findings. We hypothesized that people with epilepsy found dead in water with no clear sign of submersion could be misdiagnosed as SUDEP. Methods: All reported seizure‐related deaths undergoing medicolegal investigation in three medical examiner's offices (New York City, Maryland, San Diego County) over different time periods were reviewed to identify epilepsy‐related drownings and SUDEPs. Drowning cases that fulfilled inclusion criteria were divided into two groups according to the circumstances of death: definite drowning and possible drowning. The SUDEP group included two sex‐ and age (±2 years)‐matched definite SUDEP/definite SUDEP plus cases for each drowning case. Results: Of 1346 deaths reviewed, we identified 36 definite (76.6%) and 11 possible drowning deaths (23.4%), most of which occurred in a bathtub (72.3%). There were drowning‐related findings, including fluid within the sphenoid sinuses, foam in the airways, clear fluid in the stomach content, and lung hyperinflation in 58.3% (21/36) of the definite drowning group, 45.5% (5/11) of the possible drowning group, and 4.3% of the SUDEP group (4/92). There was no difference in the presence of pulmonary edema/congestion between the definite drowning group, possible drowning group, and SUDEP group. The definite drowning group had a higher mean combined lung weight than the SUDEP group, but there was no difference in mean lung weights between the possible drowning and SUDEP groups or between the possible drowning and definite drowning groups. Significance: No distinguishable autopsy finding could be found between SUDEPs and epilepsy‐related drownings when there were no drowning‐related signs and no clear evidence of submersion. SUDEP could be the cause of death in such possible drowning cases. As most drowning cases occurred in the bathtub, supervision and specific bathing precautions could be effective prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The risk of drowning is reported to be 15–19 times greater in people with epilepsy compared to the general population. Despite this disproportionate burden, there is limited data about the circumstances surrounding drowning deaths in people with epilepsy. This population-based case series characterizes drowning deaths in people with epilepsy. Methods Postmortem data from coroner-ordered autopsies conducted in Ontario between 2014 and 2016 were screened for cases of drowning in people with a history of seizures. Demographic information, epilepsy characteristics, and circumstances surrounding death were extracted from post mortem reports. The incidence of drowning in people with epilepsy was calculated using government estimates of the Ontario population and the number of people with epilepsy. Results Twenty-five people with epilepsy drowned during the three-year study period, giving an estimated incidence of 1.5 per 10,000 epilepsy person-years (95% CI: 0.98, 2.23). Decedents were mostly young (mean age 36 years) and without physical or developmental disability. Approximately one-third had psychiatric comorbidities. Epilepsy severity ranged from well-controlled to drug refractory. Only 3 people had alcohol or illicit drugs detected on toxicological analysis. Forty-four percent of deaths were the result of an unwitnessed drowning in a bathtub. Conclusions This population-based case series confirms people with epilepsy drown at a rate nearly ten times greater than the general population (1.5 per 10,000 epilepsy person-years compared to the estimated provincial average of 0.13 per 10,000). Drowning deaths in people with epilepsy most often occur in the bathtub. These deaths are only rarely associated with intoxication. People with epilepsy should receive counseling on the increased risk of drowning, including information regarding the significant risk associated with bathtub use, the potential protective roles of anti-epileptic drug (AED) adherence and supervision when in or around water, and the fact that all people with epilepsy remain at an increased risk of drowning regardless of their apparent seizure control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: Drowning leads to 372,000 deaths annually worldwide and to severe morbidity secondary to asphyxiation or aspiration. Previous studies described submersion injuries mainly in the pediatric population. This study describes characteristics of patients presenting with submersion injuries to United States emergency departments (EDs) and identifies predictors of poor outcomes (death or long term neurologic deficits) after drowning.Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included ED visits for submersion injuries from the United States 2013 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) dataset using discharge data (CCS diagnosis codes). Descriptive analysis was done for the collected variables and was followed by a multivariate regression analysis to identify predictors of poor outcomes (mortality and morbidity).Results: A total of 12,529 weighted patients presented to EDs for submersion injury in 2013 yielding a rate of 9.29 per 100,000 ED visits. Patients were more frequently males (65.8%, 95%CI: 64.0-67.6) and in the 19-65 years age group (41.8%, 95%CI: 40.0-43.6). Poor outcomes were present in 11.7% (95%CI: 10.5-13.0) of patients. Significant positive predictors of poor outcomes were: male gender (OR = 1.761, 95%CI: 1.247-2.487); presence of chronic conditions involving infectious and parasitic disease (OR = 2.824, 95%CI: 1.155-6.908), the circulatory system (OR = 12.818, 95%CI: 8.953-18.351), the respiratory system (OR = 1.498, 95%CI: 1.079-2.079) or the digestive system (OR = 2.006, 95%CI: 1.106-3.636); associated motor vehicle traffic injury (OR = 5.221, 95%CI: 1.563-17.441) and self-payers.Conclusion: Submersion remains a high impact emergency condition in the United States. Significant predictors of poor outcomes were identified. Prevention efforts targeting susceptible population are needed to reduce the impact of submersion injuries on different communities in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]