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Journal of Safety Research Jun 2023Amongst pool lifeguards, the capacity to identify drowning swimmers quickly and accurately depends on the interpretation of critical cues. However, assessing the...
INTRODUCTION
Amongst pool lifeguards, the capacity to identify drowning swimmers quickly and accurately depends on the interpretation of critical cues. However, assessing the capacity for cue utilization amongst lifeguards at present is costly, time-consuming, and largely subjective. The aim of this study was to test the relationship between cue utilization and the detection of drowning swimmers in a series of virtual public swimming pool scenarios.
METHOD
Eighty-seven participants with or without lifeguarding experience engaged in three virtual scenarios, two of which were target scenarios where drowning events occurred within a 13 minute or 23 minute period of watch. Cue utilization was assessed using the pool lifeguarding edition of the EXPERTise 2.0 software following which 23 participants were classified with higher cue utilization, while the remaining participants were classified with lower cue utilization.
RESULTS
The results revealed that participants with higher cue utilization were more likely to have acquired experience as a lifeguard, were more likely to detect the drowning swimmer within a three minute period, and, in the case of the 13 minute scenario, recorded a greater dwell time on the drowning victim prior to the drowning event.
CONCLUSION
The results suggest that cue utilization is associated with drowning detection performance in a simulated environment and could be employed as a basis for assessments of performance amongst lifeguards in the future.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
Measures of cue utilization are associated with the timely detection of drowning victims in virtual pool lifeguarding scenarios. Employers and trainers of lifeguards can potentially augment existing lifeguarding assessment programs to quickly and cost-effectively identify the capabilities of lifeguards. This is especially useful for new lifeguards or where pool lifeguarding is a seasonal activity that might be associated with skill decay.
Topics: Humans; Drowning; Cues; Swimming Pools; Records
PubMed: 37330888
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2023.04.006 -
American Family Physician Jan 2023
Topics: Humans; Vision Disorders; Accidental Falls; Death; Hearing Disorders
PubMed: 36689978
DOI: No ID Found -
The American Journal of Forensic... Sep 2020Otorrhagia is generally associated with basilar skull fractures or diving accidents. In routine forensic medical practice, an accurate knowledge of the etiology of...
Otorrhagia is generally associated with basilar skull fractures or diving accidents. In routine forensic medical practice, an accurate knowledge of the etiology of otorrhagia may have a key role to distinguish between traumatic and atraumatic causes and accidental, homicidal, or suicidal manners. The authors present the case of an unusual cause of atraumatic otorrhagia occurred in an elderly farmer found dead in a barn. He remained entrapped in a narrow tunnel created by some hay bales. The autopsy findings revealed only an intense polyvisceral congestion and subpleural petechiae, with no signs of traumatic injuries and no fractures of skull base or temporal pyramid. The cause of death was determined to be positional asphyxia, and the manner of death was deemed accidental. In fact, the head-down position resulted in diaphragm compression causing respiratory failure in combination with the stasis of the upper venous circle districts. Mechanical and gravitational forces related to upside-down position and increased vascular pressure also caused postmortem otorrhagia. In this case, the death scene investigation and circumstantial information allowed for reconstruction of the unique dynamics of the death. At the death scene, the position of the corpse must be accurately investigated because it can explain some cadaveric findings such as the ear bleeding or other markers of increased cephalic venous pressure like pink teeth, facial and conjunctival petechiae, or Tardieu spots. Therefore, forensic pathologists should consider that ear bleeding in dead bodies is not always the evidence of severe head blunt trauma or diving accidents, but it might be a postmortem phenomenon mostly related to body position.
Topics: Accidents, Occupational; Aged, 80 and over; Asphyxia; Conjunctiva; Ear; Edema; Farmers; Head-Down Tilt; Hemorrhage; Humans; Male; Purpura
PubMed: 32452862
DOI: 10.1097/PAF.0000000000000559 -
Hawai'i Journal of Health & Social... Mar 2022Causes of the extraordinarily high and increasing incidence of snorkeler drownings in Hawai'i have remained unexplained for years. Defining the mechanisms and factors...
Causes of the extraordinarily high and increasing incidence of snorkeler drownings in Hawai'i have remained unexplained for years. Defining the mechanisms and factors predisposing to drowning while snorkeling is needed to provide recommendations to substantially mitigate the incidence of this form of preventable death. The mechanisms of drowning are described and insight into the predisposing factors are explored in this study. Methods included measuring snorkel airway resistance characteristics, case reports from the State of Hawai'i Medical Examiner's office, and collating information by survey, principally from rescued survivors. This study identified 2 modes of drowning while snorkeling that need further investigation: accidental or inadvertent aspiration, and hypoxia resulting from acute negative pressure pulmonary edema. The incidence of drowning from mechanisms of hypoxia due to rapid onset pulmonary edema is an important focus of the study and a number of potentially significant predisposing factors are presented that need further investigation but provide bases that may become part of updated policies and practices for snorkelers to substantially lower the risk of death. This report is meant for both medical and public health information purposes.
Topics: Drowning; Hawaii; Humans; Hypoxia; Incidence; Pulmonary Edema
PubMed: 35261987
DOI: No ID Found -
Forensic Science, Medicine, and... Dec 2022Injuries from motor vehicle collisions are frequently encountered in routine forensic practice. While the most common lethal events involve blunt force trauma with... (Review)
Review
Injuries from motor vehicle collisions are frequently encountered in routine forensic practice. While the most common lethal events involve blunt force trauma with injuries to the head and neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis and limbs, review of the literature and case files shows that a wide variety of other fatal situations can occur that may involve sharp force and penetrating trauma, incineration, drowning, asphyxia, organic diseases and combinations of these. The following overview details potential factors that may contribute to death following vehicle crashes.
Topics: Humans; Motor Vehicles; Accidents, Traffic; Wounds, Nonpenetrating; Asphyxia; Wounds, Penetrating
PubMed: 35881221
DOI: 10.1007/s12024-022-00503-3 -
Journal of Injury & Violence Research May 2023Past studies have shown a lack of consensus on the definition and terminology of drowning among experts in the field and relevant organizations. There is a need for a... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Past studies have shown a lack of consensus on the definition and terminology of drowning among experts in the field and relevant organizations. There is a need for a new look at the definition of drowning to improve the understanding of drowning events.
METHODS
A literature search of seven electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, CINHAL, MEDLINE, Sport Discus, and Social Sciences from 1960 to 2020 was conducted using the MESH search terms "drowning", "near-drowning", "submersion", and "immersion". Cochrane databases were also searched for systematic reviews The items were searched in all fields of publication, including title, abstract, and keyword.
RESULTS
The search identified approximately 2500 articles, 230 of which were reviewed. The inclusion criteria were applied to the full text of 230 articles, and 25 articles addressing the different definitions of drowning were assessed. They were reviewed critically by authors using a standard review form. The search identified that there were at least 20 different outcome measures for drowning incidents reported. Definitions of drowning in the literature were found for the following terms: dry versus wet drowning, secondary drowning, drowned and near-drowned, drowning without aspiration and drowning with aspiration, near drowning without aspiration or with aspiration, active drowning, passive drowning, silent drowning, witnessed and unwitnessed, immersion, submersion, death certificate records drowning, unintentional submersion, road traffic injury leading to passenger vehicle drowning, drowning, near drowning, salt or freshwater drowning, and cold water drowning.
CONCLUSIONS
In the literature, a lack of consensus was observed but the following terms should not be abandoned; "Non-fatal drowning" which is used to describe death following rescue and life with at least 24 hours of in-hospital survival and the development of one or more complications and "Fatal drowning" which implies death occurring at the scene or 24 h of a submersion incident.
Topics: Humans; Drowning; Systematic Reviews as Topic; Water; Near Drowning; Fresh Water
PubMed: 37302005
DOI: 10.5249/jivr.v15i2.1816 -
Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine Aug 2019Although the diagnosis of drowning may appear straightforward the reality is that it is sometimes one of the most difficult in forensic pathology. To begin with, there... (Review)
Review
Although the diagnosis of drowning may appear straightforward the reality is that it is sometimes one of the most difficult in forensic pathology. To begin with, there is no universal agreement on what constitutes drowning with some definitions using the term in the absence of a lethal outcome. Next are the significant problems that arise in finding immersed bodies and in assessing the death scene. Prolonged post mortem intervals are associated with artefactual modifications of the body from putrefaction and post mortem animal predation. Both of these may create and disguise injuries. The absence of pathognomonic pathological features at autopsy and the presence of potentially life threatening underlying organic illnesses complicate determination of both the cause and manner of death. There may even be no autopsy findings to indicate that immersion had occurred. Finally, the unreliability of laboratory tests with significant overlap with control cases where death had no association with immersion presents further problems. Thus lethal drowning remains a complex event that requires the use of a wide variety of information sources, not just data gleaned from the dissection table.
Topics: Animals; Aorta; Comorbidity; Consensus; Diatoms; Drowning; Electrolytes; Forensic Pathology; Hemorrhage; Humans; Lung; Organ Size; Paranasal Sinuses; Postmortem Changes; Respiratory System; Skin; Spleen; Terminology as Topic; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Tunica Intima
PubMed: 31229802
DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2019.06.003 -
BMC Public Health Nov 2022Drowning is a serious worldwide and preventable injury problem, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aim of this paper is to draw on the results...
BACKGROUND
Drowning is a serious worldwide and preventable injury problem, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aim of this paper is to draw on the results of semi-structured interviews with witnesses, family members and friends of persons involved in fatal and nonfatal drowning incidents to describe the circumstances of drowning in both lakeside and non-lakeside districts and to identify potential contextually appropriate interventions for drowning prevention and surveillance in Uganda.
METHODS
The findings presented in this study were based on data collected from study participants selected through purposive sampling comprising 324 individual face-to-face interviews with drowning witnesses, family members, friends of and survivors of drowning and ten (10) focus group discussions held with community members in 14 districts in Uganda. Data analysis was done using the Framework Analysis Approach with the aid of the Microsoft Atlas ti software (version 8) program.
RESULTS
The study results reveal a range of circumstances under which drowning occurs in Uganda, poor record keeping of drowning incidents, fear of reporting drowning incidences to the authorities, challenges in preventing drowning and proposed strategies for mitigating the problem.
CONCLUSIONS
This study found that there is no specialized record keeping system for drowning cases in Uganda and where such records are kept, the system is entirely manual (in hard copy form) with no electronic storage of data. Secondly, the drowning cases reported to police posts and stations in various parts of the country are not transmitted to the district headquarters and national database. These and other conclusions not only provide valuable insights into understanding of drowning circumstances but also the key policy and programme interventions for water-based economic activities such as fishing and public water transportation in Uganda and other LMICs.
Topics: Humans; Drowning; Uganda; Qualitative Research; Focus Groups; Water
PubMed: 36335357
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14461-6 -
High Altitude Medicine & Biology Jun 2022DeLoughery, Emma P. and Thomas G. DeLoughery. Review and Analysis of Mountaineering Accidents in the United States from 1947-2018. . 23:114-118, 2022. Given the... (Review)
Review
DeLoughery, Emma P. and Thomas G. DeLoughery. Review and Analysis of Mountaineering Accidents in the United States from 1947-2018. . 23:114-118, 2022. Given the popularity of mountaineering, it is important to better understand accidents related to this sport. We undertook this review of accidents to better understand the demographics and locations involved in mountaineering accidents over 71 years. Data collected from "Accidents in North American Mountaineering" booklets from 1947 to 2018 included the date, state and location of the accident, sex and age of the victim, type of accident, injuries sustained, and distance fallen if a fall occurred. If at least 10 accidents occurred in an individual state and/or location, these sites were separately analyzed. From 1947 to 2018, 2,799 people were reported to be involved in mountaineering accidents, and 43% of these accidents resulted in death. Women were involved in 12% of cases. Falls were the most common accident (68% incidence, 45% fatal), followed by falling rock (7%, 26% fatal), avalanche (6%, 75% fatal), and falling into a crevasse (2%, 52% fatal). The average age of victims was 30 years. California had the most accidents (18%), followed by Washington (16%) and Alaska (15%). Denali had the greatest frequency of both accidents and deaths (11%, 8% of deaths), followed by Mount Rainier (6%, 7% of deaths) and Mount Hood (2%, 3% of deaths). Accident victims tend to be young and predominantly male, and the accidents themselves are most often falls. Avalanches were identified as an accident cause with a high fatality rate.
Topics: Accidental Falls; Accidents; Adult; Avalanches; Female; Humans; Incidence; Male; Mountaineering; United States
PubMed: 35263173
DOI: 10.1089/ham.2021.0085 -
South Dakota Medicine : the Journal of... Oct 2023Drowning is currently the second leading cause of injury-related death for children 1-4 years of age in the United States and is the leading cause of death worldwide for...
Drowning is currently the second leading cause of injury-related death for children 1-4 years of age in the United States and is the leading cause of death worldwide for boys ages 5-14 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies it as a public health threat and advocates for reducing drowning deaths by understanding geographical, cultural, and societal risk factors. To these three we added a fourth: historical studies. To that end, we analyzed accidental causes of death between January 1, 1880, and December 31, 1939, in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, based on interment records from the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. From these six decades (1880-1939) of data, we classified 217 cases as accidental deaths. Drowning was the leading cause of accidental mortality, accounting for 50 accidental deaths (23%). Drowning deaths were analyzed by the decedents' age and date of death. We discuss specific historical drowning risk factors and hypothesize how they may have affected drowning deaths from 1880-1939 in Minnehaha County.
Topics: Child; Male; Humans; Infant; Child, Preschool; Adolescent; Drowning; South Dakota; Cause of Death; Risk Factors; Medical History Taking
PubMed: 38232487
DOI: No ID Found