Drowning: Its Types, Mechanism, Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Manner of Death, Cause of Death and Post-Mortem Findings

Abstract

The present chapter was written with objectives to understand the drowning its types, its pathophysiology, gross and microscopic findings, cause of death in drowning and post-mortem findings in drowning.  Drowning is defined as “death due to submersion in liquid”. Death can occur in ocean or water as shallow water.  It is a form of death in which the atmospheric air is prevented from entering the lungs due to submersion of body in water, or any other fluid medium. Complete submersion is not necessary because death may occur even if the face alone is submerged because air is prevented from entering the respiratory tract. World Health Organization described, drowning as serious and neglected public health problem. Near about 42 people every hour and 3.7 lakh every year die from drowning in the world. In India drowning is the second most common cause of death after road traffic accidents. The well-known saying that “Water is life” itself reveals the fact that, there will be no existence of life without water. Millions of years ago, the first appearance of life on earth had occurred in water (The Archean, Paleobiology.si.edu 2014). In addition to life sustaining role, water is one of the most destructive forces on earth in the form of tsunamis and flood disasters, which are responsible for the loss of life on a large scale.