T75.1: Drowning and nonfatal submersion

There are different reasons why someone can be submerged in water. For example, you can be submerged if you are swimming and become physically exhausted and run out of strength. You can also be submerged if you are unable to swim properly. When the head is below the water, not enough air can get into the lungs. Then, in trying to breathe in, water can gather in the lungs, for example. If the air supply to the lungs is no longer adequate, the body suffers a lack of oxygen. You can pass out if you suffer a lack of oxygen.

A life-threatening shortage of oxygen can also cause circulatory collapse. The heart pumps blood through the blood vessels to the body. The blood then flows back to the heart through other blood vessels. Together, the heart and the blood vessels form the blood circulatory system. Blood supplies oxygen and nutrients to the tissue in the body. With a circulatory collapse, the blood is no longer pumped around the body. When a circulatory collapse is caused by being submerged in water, it is referred to as drowning.

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For a complete understanding of your condition and what the diagnosis means for you, please speak directly with your doctor.