Acute respiratory distress syndrome following near drowning: A case report and review of literature

According to the World Health Organization, drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths. National Crime Records Bureau estimates an average of 83 deaths every day in India due to drowning. A 36-year-old male, who is a known case of posttraumatic seizure disorder, was admitted with an alleged history of drowning into the river. On admission, the patient had severe hypoxemia and chest X-ray revealed bilateral diffuse heterogeneous fluffy infiltrates suggestive of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The patient was immediately intubated and mechanically ventilated. Subsequent computed tomography imaging of the patient showed mixed areas of consolidation and ground-glass opacities. Later in the course of stay in the hospital, the condition of the patient gradually improved and he was discharged from the hospital in a stable condition. The outcome of ARDS in drowning victims is better when compared to the ARDS of other etiologies.