Marian Guerrido (23) drove her car into a pond, killing two of the five children in the vehicle

[animosity]

i thought you are totally dead after 7 minutes or so. these kids were down there for 3 times that. i don't think they're coming out of it.

[PunkerDuckie]

i thought you are totally dead after 7 minutes or so. these kids were down there for 3 times that. i don't think they're coming out of it.

If they were in hypothermic conditions (cold water) brain death would take longer, meaning they are viable for longer Children(and adults to a lesser extent) have a specific reflex known as the mamillian diving reflex. "The reflex is triggered by splashes of cold water on the face or submersion of the face. Once the body detects an impending cold-water immersion, it attempts to thwart the cold and preserve blood flow to the brain and internal organs. The heart rate slows down, decreasing oxygen demand. And capillaries in the hands and feet begin to tighten, squeezing blood to the core of the body and brain, where it?s needed most. "

So basically, you don't "need" to breathe, everything slows down when the body is cold, including heart rate... so they may appear dead and gone but once they warm up, they come to. We work any cold water drowning in EMS until they are "warm and dead" because of this. There have been cases of 45 minute cold water submersion with no pulse being brought back to life after CPR and rewarming. They also now use hypothermia in the field (via iced IV fluids/compresses) to minimize damage to the brain after cardiac events.

http://seattletimes.com/html/localne...leside11m.html
http://familydoctormag.com/first-aid...-drowning.html


/ems ramblings

[debk589]

If they were in hypothermic conditions (cold water) brain death would take longer, meaning they are viable for longer Children(and adults to a lesser extent) have a specific reflex known as the mamillian diving reflex. "The reflex is triggered by splashes of cold water on the face or submersion of the face. Once the body detects an impending cold-water immersion, it attempts to thwart the cold and preserve blood flow to the brain and internal organs. The heart rate slows down, decreasing oxygen demand. And capillaries in the hands and feet begin to tighten, squeezing blood to the core of the body and brain, where it?s needed most. "

So basically, you don't "need" to breathe, everything slows down when the body is cold, including heart rate... so they may appear dead and gone but once they warm up, they come to. We work any cold water drowning in EMS until they are "warm and dead" because of this. There have been cases of 45 minute cold water submersion with no pulse being brought back to life after CPR and rewarming. They also now use hypothermia in the field (via iced IV fluids/compresses) to minimize damage to the brain after cardiac events.

http://seattletimes.com/html/localne...leside11m.html
http://familydoctormag.com/first-aid...-drowning.html


/ems ramblings

I always think of that part in the movie The Abyss where she "drowns" in freezing water and then they bring her back.