Texas boy dies from 'dry drowning' days after swimming
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas -- A four-year-old Texas boy died from "dry drowning" almost a week after his family went swimming at the Texas City Dike, in Texas City.
Francisco Delgado Jr. says almost a week after a family trip to the Texas City Dike, he called 9-1-1 because his son Frankie, 4, stopped breathing.The child had shown symptoms that resembled a stomach bug for several days, including vomiting and diarrhea.
Doctors found fluid in Frankie’s lungs and around his heart, telling the Delgado family, Frankie died of what’s known as “dry drowning.”
Dry drowning, also called secondary drowning, can occur hours after a child has experienced a near-drowning incident. If untreated, if can lead to brain injury, respiratory problems or death.The uncommon condition mostly involves young children.
Even if a child ingests only a "few gasps" of water in a pool incident, he or she could be at risk of experiencing dry drowning later, Purva Grover, medical director of Cleveland Clinic Children's pediatric emergency departments said in a 2015 interview.