Dry & Secondary Drowning: This Is What Parents Need to Know

There’s nothing better than swimming in a cool pool during the scorching days of summer. But parents can be forgiven for being wary after reading recent headlines about children who’ve died from a condition called secondary drowning—including a Texas toddler, Frankie Delgado, who lost his life a full week after getting knocked over by a wave at the beach.

How can this happen? And more importantly, how can parents make sure their little ones are safe after exiting the water?

While secondary and dry drowning make up only 1-2 percent of all drowning deaths, it’s important for parents to know the symptoms, because they can be life-threatening. Secondary drowning and dry drowning are two similar but technically different conditions that can affect anyone, although children are especially vulnerable. As the names imply, both affect their victims after they’ve left the pool, usually with no idea anything is wrong. Symptoms of dry drowning typically occur immediately after any incident in the water, while secondary drowning usually begins later, within one to 24 hours after exiting the water—but it can progress over one to two days, or, as in Frankie Delgado’s case, several days. 

“Children are more prone to dry and secondary drowning because of their small size, stature and immature gag reflex,” says Robert Glatter, M.D., an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. Toddlers, especially, may be at heightened risk because they don’t know to keep their mouths closed or how to blow bubbles in the water.

Symptoms of Dry and Secondary Drowning

Secondary drowning happens when someone inadvertently swallows too much water and it goes into his lungs. Patients suffering from secondary drowning may feel tired after a short period in the water, have a dry cough, and complain of chest pain. These symptoms can progress over a longer period of time as the child loses oxygen in his blood, a condition known as hypoxia, according to Dr. Glatter. While many pools post rules prohibiting horseplay and dunking other people in the water, parents should emphasize this safety lesson to all children because just a few mouthfuls of water accidentally swallowed can lead to water entering the lungs.

Symptoms of dry drowning are much more profound and develop suddenly, with a spasm of the vocal cords causing them to snap shut. The child cannot get any air in or out and her breathing will sound high-pitched. Wheezing often occurs due to a blockage in the airway and she may turn blue as well. “This child should be taken to the emergency room immediately so that he or she does not asphyxiate,” Dr. Glatter says.