The summer months are usually a time that we unfortunately hear about children dying from being left in cars during high temperatures, but earlier this month, parents everywhere were shocked and saddened to hear about the rare and tragic passing of a 4-year-old boy from Texas named Frankie Delgado III.
According to reports, Frankie’s family visited the Texas City Dike where Frankie was playing in just knee-deep water. Everything seemed fine. Later, however, Frankie had diarrhea and was vomiting, symptoms that, like many of us, his parents attributed to a stomach bug.
Days later, on June 3rd, Frankie complained that his shoulders were hurting and took a nap. Just a few hours into his nap, Frankie woke suddenly and took his last breath. His parents rushed Frankie to the hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.
Early reports of this tragedy shook parents everywhere who were concerned that their kids could one day be splashing around in the water, only to die, seemingly out of nowhere, moments or days later.
There is a lot of confusion over this matter, especially when you throw in terms like “dry drowning” and “secondary drowning” and, surely, this has caused many parents to contact their family doctors or pediatricians to inquire about “dry drowning,” the confusing term that is commonly linked to these rare cases.
One of those pediatricians, Dr. Kate Hensley from Corpus Christi, TX, decided to speak out about “dry drowning” — a term she’s very much not fond of as it’s not medically accepted wording — on her personal blog, which she created years ago for friends, family, and her patients.
While Hensley’s post on drowning with morbidity, the term she prefers, has great information, she’s faced some backlash over the original title of her post: Dry Drowning Is Not A Thing. Before she knew it, Dr. Kate’s post was spreading like wildfire and sparked up a bit of controversy. While some parents were thankful for her well-meaning post, saying it helped calm their fears, others were just not having it. She’s since changed the title in response to people’s concerns.
Some may not agree with Hensley’s to-the-point views on “dry drowning,” but it’s posts like hers and the attention sparked by what happened to Frankie that help spread awareness about this tragic occurrence which, in turn, has prevented more deaths from happening, as was thankfully the case with 2-year-old Gio Vega.
I contacted Dr. Kate to allow her to clear the air over her post and give her an opportunity to speak more about drowning with morbidity.
What made you want to write your post about secondary drowning?
My close friend texted me late one night because she was TERRIFIED about her 4-year-old. Her little girl had vomited one time and mom was worried because the family had been to the neighborhood pool earlier that day. She had read articles on Facebook about “dry drowning” and she wanted to know if she should take her daughter to the ER. As it happened, I listened to her lungs myself and she was clear. This was only the first of many such questions. I had two moms call me, asking if they should take their kids out of swimming lessons. I wanted to reassure parents that an asymptomatic child who has had no aspiration event really is OK. I also wanted parents to know what to watch out for that would raise concern for actual morbidity from drowning.
A lot of people are upset about the title you chose for your post, saying it’s irresponsible. Was that to get people to read?
It wasn’t to get people to read it, it was supposed to be reassuring.
What should parents look for, what should parents do, and how likely is this to happen?
First and foremost, parents should make sure that their children are adequately supervised in water. Also, understand that a child in trouble will not scream and flail and draw attention to themselves, they will most likely just go silent. If you even SUSPECT that your child is having trouble, haul them out of there. I’m pretty sure everyone understands that a child who really is down in the water needs to go to the ER, even if they recover. They are at high risk and they need close monitoring in a medical facility.
A child who has any respiratory distress (coughing, gagging, wheezing, etc.) during swimming is also at risk for drowning, so they need to be watched for symptoms (persistent cough or strange breathing sounds, chest pain, persistent abdominal pain, unusual fatigue, persistent vomiting). If they exhibit such symptoms, they need medical attention right away.
If you find yourself in a situation where you’re not sure what to do or how worried to be, call your doctor. That’s what we’re here for.
Your article has gotten a variety of reactions. Parents whose minds you’ve put more at ease, like mine, and parents who think you’re downplaying the matter. Is there anything you’d like to say or address in response?
I appreciate all the feedback, both positive and negative. I’m new to blogging. I’m much more accustomed to communicating with parents in person, and it usually goes pretty well. I’ve made some edits based on the feedback I’ve received. My goal is always to provide good evidence-based information with a dose of humor. That’s just my style. I love being a pediatrician. It’s ridiculously fun and it is a privilege to have people trust you with the well-being of their children.
If you haven’t read Dr. Kate’s blog post about “dry drowning,” you can find it on her website, Doctor Kate’s Info Blog. There, she cuts through the confusion and explains this phenomenon in-depth and offers several helpful links on the matter. She also uses her blog to address other concerns from friends, family, and patients that she’s encountered over her 10 years as a pediatrician.