Managing near drowning of adults within the emergency department

SummaryIncreased focus on safety strategies and public awareness has not made any gains in reducing near drowning incidents in Australia. This clinically challenging case has a high mortality rate. The Indigenous Australian population has the highest incidence of death by drowning in the world. This paper contains a discussion of the management of near drowning in the emergency department using an ABC approach. Current and classic international journals, hospital policies and expert anecdotal opinion have been used to form this discussion.