Evaluation of Drowning Cases Followed Up in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Retrospective Single-Center Study Covering 8 Years

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics, intensive care processes, complications, and prognostic indicators in pediatric drowning cases.
METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of 28 patients admitted to a tertiary pediatric intensive care unit due to drowning between January 2016 and January 2024. Patients were categorized according to saltwater or freshwater drowning. Demographic data, clinical findings, laboratory values, treatment interventions, and complications were analyzed. Additionally, a subgroup analysis was performed comparing patients with poor outcomes (mortality and/or neurological sequelae) and those with good outcomes.
RESULTS: Among the patients, 78.6% were male. The median submersion time was 6.8 minutes. Cardiac arrest was observed in 32.1% of cases. ARDS and mortality rates were higher in the saltwater group. Subgroup analysis revealed statistically significant associations between poor outcomes and longer CPR duration, lower GCS scores, higher frequency of ARDS and cardiac arrest, lower pH, and more negative base excess (p<0.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study identifies key clinical parameters associated with poor prognosis in pediatric drowning. These findings are hypothesis-generating and should be supported by larger, multicenter, prospective studies evaluating survival and neurological recovery after drowning, particularly in saltwater drowning cases.

Keywords: Cardiac arrest, intensive care, pediatric drowning, prognostic factors.