How to provide first aid to a drowning victim after rescuing?

Appeared in: UPUMS Nsg officer-2023

Explanation

The initial and most critical action after ensuring safety is to assess the victim's responsiveness.
This is done by shouting and gently tapping the person to see if they respond.
This assessment determines the next steps in the Basic Life Support (BLS) sequence, such as calling for help and starting CPR.
For drowning victims, the priority is to reverse hypoxia, and the resuscitation sequence begins after confirming unresponsiveness.

Option B: While essential, activating emergency medical services (EMS) is the step taken immediately after determining the victim is unresponsive. The initial assessment must come first.
Option C: Placing the victim prone (face-down) to drain water is an outdated and dangerous practice. It wastes critical time, delays CPR, and increases the risk of vomiting and aspiration of stomach contents.
Option D: A physical examination is part of the secondary survey, which is performed only after immediate life-threatening issues (Airway, Breathing, Circulation) have been addressed and stabilized.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain First aid management for a drowning victim as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
The primary cause of death in drowning is severe lack of oxygen (hypoxia). Therefore, the immediate priority in resuscitation is restoring ventilation and oxygenation.
Unlike cardiac arrest from a heart problem, drowning resuscitation emphasizes rescue breaths early in the sequence (A-B-C approach) to combat hypoxia.
Nurses must educate the public to avoid harmful, outdated maneuvers like abdominal thrusts or placing the victim face down, as these delay life-saving CPR.

How to Approach the Question

First, recognize this is a priority-setting question asking for the first action in an emergency.
Recall the standard Basic Life Support (BLS) or first aid protocol. The sequence is always: ensure scene safety, check for responsiveness, call for help, and then begin interventions (Airway, Breathing, Circulation).
Evaluate each option against this standard sequence.
Option A, 'Shout and call by name,' directly corresponds to 'checking for responsiveness,' which is the first step after ensuring safety.
Eliminate other options: Calling for help (B) comes after checking responsiveness. Placing prone (C) is an incorrect and outdated action. A physical exam (D) is a secondary action for later.
Therefore, the initial assessment of responsiveness is the correct first step.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics(2024) — Volume 1 p. 686-688

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