Pulmonary function abnormalities in survivors of near drowning.

To determine the pulmonary status of children surviving near-drowning accidents, we studied the pulmonary function of ten asymptomatic children 6 months to 8.5 years (mean 3.3 years) after the accident. All ten children had normal FEF max, FVC, FEV1/FVC, FEF 50%, FRC, and RV/TLC. However, six patients had an elevated VisoV and five of these had a reduced delta Vmax 50%, indicating peripheral airway disease. Seventy percent of the patients had bronchial hyperactivity. Only one patient had completely normal pulmonary function. These results indicate that near drowning results in large and small airway dysfunction in children with no predisposition to lung disease, which may be present years after the initial insult. Such children may be at increased risk of developing chronic lung disease, especially if exposed to known airway irritants such as cigarette smoke.