Surf Survival by Andrew Nathanson

Author:Andrew Nathanson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781510749047
Publisher: Skyhorse
Published: 2019-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

Jet Ski and rescue sled.

Treatment for Near Drowning (Conscious Victim)

Once the person has been safely brought to shore, lay them down and roll them on their side if they vomit. Though you may be tempted to try to drain water out of the victim’s lungs, such maneuvers are useless and potentially harmful. Surprisingly little water actually gets into the lungs of drowning victims, and most of it is quickly absorbed into the circulation. The stomach, on the other hand, is often full of swallowed water and attempts at draining water from the lungs often precipitates vomiting, which can lead to aspiration (inhalation) of vomited material.

Keep the person warm with dry clothing, a towel, or a board bag. Anyone who has blue lips and fingers, gurgling breath sounds, or vomits is likely to have inhaled seawater. People with any of the above symptoms should be evacuated to a medical facility where oxygen can be administered, oxygen levels can be monitored, and a chest X-ray can be obtained.

Despite initially appearing well, individuals who have inhaled even small amounts of water can deteriorate—up to twenty-four hours after the incident occurred. As a result, even those who look pretty well after a rescue should be closely monitored in a hospital setting for what has been termed “secondary drowning” and is due to injury of the delicate lining of the lungs and subsequent fluid buildup in the tiny air sacs called alveoli.

People whose only symptoms after a near-drowning episode are a cough that quickly resolves, should be okay, and generally should not require evacuation.

SURF-SURVIVAL STORY

Phillipe Duhaime, a medical student at UCSD, was duck-diving his way out through solid eight-foot surf at Black’s Beach in San Diego, California, when he encountered a man lying facedown in the water. Phillipe paddled over to the lifeless man, rolled him over, lifted his head out of the water onto his surfboard, called for help, and began administering rescue breaths. Off-duty lifeguard Dylan Jones was second to the scene and helped paddle the victim to shore. Once on land, Phil gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while physician-surfer Mark Bracker performed chest compressions. Within five minutes, one of the luckiest surfers alive, forty-nine-year-old goofy-footer Chris Ryan, came to life and started talking. He had been hit on the side of his head by his board after takeoff and knocked unconscious.

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