Caring for the victim of near drowning

If no complications arise, the near-drowning victim is usually discharged within 48 hours. However, some patients require complex care because of multisystem failure. These patients challenge the critical care nurse, who must understand the interrelationships of the problems to provide quality care. The major focus of care is stabilization and normalization of the cardiovascular, respiratory and neurologic systems through accurate nursing assessments and implementation of appropriate nursing care.