4-Year-Old Dies From Drowning a Week After Going Swimming
A Texas family is preparing to bury their 4-year-old child who died in a rare "dry drowning" case nearly a week after going swimming with his family. They now want to warn other parents of the rare medical condition in the hopes of preventing others from going through the same tragedy.
Francisco Delgado Jr. took his family to Texas City Dike to swim over the Memorial Day weekend. His son, Baby Frankie, was playing in knee-deep water when he was knocked over by a wave from a passing boat. The kid picked himself up and enjoyed the rest of the day in the water.
The following night, Frankie experienced diarrhea and vomiting spells which the doctor attributed to a stomach bug. The kid was sent back home, but the problem continued that week. Frankie woke up one night, complaining of shoulder pain. His father saw him take his last breath, and he was gone.
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The parents rushed Frankie to the hospital where paramedics tried to resuscitate him in vain for the next hour. They found water in his lungs and around his heart and said he died of "dry drowning," also known as secondary drowning, a rare condition in which there is a delayed physical reaction to inhaling water.
Purva Grover, medical director of Cleveland Clinic Children's pediatric emergency department said a child could be at risk of experiencing dry drowning later even if he or she ingests only a "few gasps" of water in a pool. Symptoms that will manifest in the next 24 to 48 hours include coughing, vomiting, fever and breathing difficulty.
"It's very unusual for the child to have absolutely no symptoms, but they may go to bed and in the middle of the night have trouble breathing," Purva said. When this happens, the parent should go to the hospital immediately where doctors can drain the water from the child's lungs.
