4 ms·
> was in the 5 degree Celsius water for up to 15 minutes before being discovered. as my professor used to say: If you're going to drown, drown in almost-freezi
by matt4077 9y ago
> was in the 5 degree Celsius water for up to 15 minutes before being discovered.
as my professor used to say: If you're going to drown, drown in almost-freezing freshwater.
- myth_drannon 9y agoyeah, she was in a cooling state which prevents brain damage. That's what they do to newborns who lacked oxygen during birth.
- brianwawok 9y agoI get the freezing, why the freshwater? Saltwater can be a bit colder before ice, so wouldn't it be better?
- zimpenfish 9y agoI would assume osmosis would probably come into play and perhaps cause additional cell damage and rupture?
- seszett 9y ago> Saltwater can be a bit colder before ice, so wouldn't it be better? I imagine it could actually be worse, as liquid saltwater below 0 would damage tissues very fast by freezing them. While fresh water is guaranteed to be above zero and therefore cannot damage tissues through freezing.
- ars 9y agoI think the salt is an issue with regard to inhaling the water, not about the temperature.
- matt4077 9y agoYes, you and zimpenfish are correct: getting salt in your lungs will almost certainly kill you, because it keeps drawing water from the blood through osmosis, and you'll continue to drown even after leaving the water.
- ebiester 9y agoThis wisdom as a 3 year old is why I am here today. (It wasn't almost-freezing in my case, but it was unseasonably cold water, which gave me a fighting chance.) There's a tiny bit of jealousy that I didn't have a similar treatment as a kid, but I also have to count my blessings that I was born in a time where a UCLA professor could consult from a thousand miles away and that a concoction of steroids were enough to make the brain swelling dissipate, leaving me with damage small enough that neuroplasticity could do its wonderful magic.