A few days ago, a 72-year-old man in Leiyang accidentally fell into a pond and drowned, and was found to have been in respiratory and cardiac arrest when he was sent to the hospital.

"The old man went to the pond to catch ducks and accidentally fell into the pond, my dad saw my mom in the pond and pulled her up, and my mom was completely unconscious of the situation at that time." Mr. Xie told reporters.

After being rescued ashore, the old man had difficulty breathing and lost consciousness, and his family rushed him to the hospital. Due to the limited medical conditions in the local area, the family sought help from the First Hospital of Changsha City.

"At that time, after we received the request for help, our medical team immediately went to the hospital in Leiyang with the equipment and escorted the elderly to the First Hospital of Changsha for treatment." According to the doctor, the elderly suffered from aspiration pneumonia and respiratory failure due to inhalation of pond sewage, and his condition was once life-threatening.

After several days of symptomatic treatment, the elderly man was successfully evacuated from the ventilator and removed from the endotracheal intubation, and transferred to a general ward. After the doctor's assessment, the old man was discharged from the hospital this morning.

Doctor's Reminder:

Older people should be alert to drowning incidents when they are outdoors. Elderly people have decreased muscle strength, unsteady gait, and are more likely to slip and fall into the water and drown when walking near ponds, rivers and other waters.

When submerged, the drowning person will initially hold their breath and swallow the water repeatedly. As the breath-holding progresses, the drowning person develops hypoxia and hypercapnia.

The laryngospasm reflex may temporarily prevent water from entering the lungs, but these reflexes gradually weaken and water is drawn into the lungs. As the gas exchange ceases for a longer period of time, the drowning person suffers from loss of consciousness, respiratory arrest, and eventual cardiac arrest secondary to hypoxemia.

If you accidentally fall into the water, how can you save yourself?

1. Stay calm: Try to relax and reduce oxygen consumption.

2. Adjust your posture: Float on your back or sideways to keep your mouth and nose above the water.

3. Use breathing techniques: Breathe deeply, exhale slowly, and avoid hyperventilation.

4. Help: Wave your hand or make a sound to send a distress signal to those around you.

5. Make use of surrounding objects: Use objects such as driftwood, lifebuoys, etc., to help yourself float on the water.

6. Leg cramps in the water: ask for help from the people around you as soon as possible; Try to adjust to the backstroke position, and use your hands to push the toes of the cramped leg to the side of the foot, and then slowly swim back to shore after the spasm has subsided.

Reporter: Liang Xingxing

Source: Political and Legal Channel