Drowning: Complications and Management (Nursing)

00:01 There are a long list of complications associated with drowning.

00:04 In this next part of our discussion, we're going to take a look at these complications and what you need to know as a nurse to manage them.

00:11 So first, let's talk about respiratory complications.

00:14 After drowning, a patient can experience ARDS might just be pneumonia either aspiration or ventilator associated.

00:21 They can have a collapsed lung atelectasis.

00:24 They might have extra fluid in their lung which is pulmonary edema.

00:28 They can also have bronchospasm.

00:30 And we just have a really hard time getting enough oxygen into their bloodstream, which is called persistent hypoxemia when it comes to neurological complications. There's a long list of things that nobody wants to see diagnose for themselves or for a loved one.

00:47 They might have hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

00:50 That means their brain didn't get enough oxygen, and now they have brain damage.

00:54 They might have cerebral edema, which means they've got swelling inside their brain, which is going to increase their intracranial pressure, which can also cause severe brain damage, if it's not treated.

01:06 Patients may develop seizures, maybe just while they're in the hospital, or possibly things could go on after the hospital.

01:13 They might go home with permanent neurological deficits.

01:16 And the worst, they may even experience brain death and cardiovascular complications, you may monitor your patient for just rhythmic, as they might have other dysfunctions with their heart.

01:27 They could be in shock and they might even go into cardiac arrest.

01:32 So, the idea of looking at these complications means that you need to be on your toes, watching for any signs the patient could be experiencing any of these complications. Renal complications can also kick in, particularly, because the kidneys may not be adequately perfused, so you can end up with acute kidney injury.

01:51 You may see that as AKI, you might have some electrolyte disturbances, and the renal failure might progress to the point from acute kidney injury to requiring dialysis. Now, some other complications that are also not fun could be multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

02:09 You might have DIC, which is a bleeding and clotting disorder.

02:13 They might become septic.

02:14 They might develop stress ulcers.

02:16 They might have a DVT from immobility and absolutely could have some psychological trauma. Both the patient and the family.

02:24 So when you're looking long term after the drowning incident, they might have chronic pulmonary dysfunction.

02:30 They might be cognitively impaired.

02:32 They might not be able to control their extremities.

02:34 They might have visual or hearing impairments.

02:37 And they can also have psychological disorders like PTSD, anxiety and phobias.