Young Child in Rehabilitation After Non-Fatal Drowning

Course overview

Drowning is the leading cause of death due to injury in children between the ages of one and four in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019). It is estimated that five times that many children are treated for non-fatal drowning submersion incidents (CDC, 2016). Non-fatal drowning is a cause of significant neurological morbidity in children, and many have long-term issues related to hypoxia and subsequent brain damage. Anoxic brain injury can cause substantial neurological impairments affecting the ability to engage in purposeful movement, mobility, and speech production. Hospital treatment that includes an interprofessional approach to the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with anoxic brain injury from non-fatal drowning has been shown to reduce medical complications, mortality, lengths of hospital stay, and healthcare costs (Goldsberry, 2018).