In such cases, called "post-immersion syndrome," the reduced airflow can cause organs to begin to fail in the hours or days after a near-drowning.
"If somebody has been involved in a drowning situation or a near-drowning situation, they should be evaluated by a physician," says Dr. William H. Shoff, an emergency department physician and associate professor of emergency medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. "All kinds of things can happen. . . . They may feel OK, but as a clinician, I've certainly seen people who said they were fine and they were not. They decompensated, right in front me."
Add to that the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention's latest warning of other dangers of recreational swimming -- including cryptosporidium, a virus impervious to the effects of chlorine that can cause stomach upset, diarrhea and worse.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday, June 17, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 33 words Type of Material: Correction
Summer dangers: A story in Monday's Health section about seasonal health risks said that cryptosporidium, which is increasingly found in the nation's swimming pools, is a virus. It is actually a microscopic parasite.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Monday, June 23, 2008 Home Edition Health Part F Page 8 Features Desk 1 inches; 39 words Type of Material: Correction
Summer health dangers: An article that ran in the June 16 Health section about seasonal health risks incorrectly stated that cryptosporidium, which is increasingly found in the nation's swimming pools, is a virus. Cryptosporidium is actually a microscopic parasite.
To read about recent cases, go to www.cdc.gov/healthy swimming/cryptofacts.htm.
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melissa.healy@latimes.com
For more on summer hazards, go to latimes.com/danger.
