[Successful treatment of a severe drowning accident after 20 minutes submersion]

Report on successful post-drowning cardiopulmonary resuscitation of a 2-year-old boy who had lain for 20 min in cold water at 5-7 degrees C. Because of severe pulmonary complications after primary resuscitation--e.g. pulmonary edema, repeated mediastinal and subcutaneous emphysema, pneumoperitoneum and bilateral pneumothorax--spontaneous respiration remained insufficient for 36 days. Under appropriate treatment the patient recovered completely except for slight muscular hypotrophy of the left thigh. 14 months after the submersion no other neurological or pulmonary sequelae could be detected.