Drowning in Denmark: A Registry-based Study of Fatal and Non-fatal Drowning From 2016 to 2023

NCT05425537 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: DROWN_NONFATAL
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 1,664
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Using nationwide data from the prehospital electronic health records from 2016 to 2023, this registry-based cohort study aims to establish a nationwide epidemiological profile of non-fatal and fatal drowning patients in Denmark in adherence with the Utstein Style For Drowning (USFD) recommended guidelines for uniform reporting of data from drowning. This includes reporting the annual incidence rates per 100,000 person-years, assessing the associations between predefined prognostic variables and 30-day survival, and reporting the spatial distribution of drowning incidents presented on a map of Denmark.

Conditions

Drowning

Keywords

Drowning; Non-fatal; Utstein; Register study; Retrospective; Reigstry-based study

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Annual drowning incidence rates per 100,000 person-years from 2016-2023

  The primary objective is to estimate the annual incidence of fatal and non-fatal drowning patients in Denmark treated by the prehospital emergency medical services from 2016 to 2023 and will be reported as the annual number of cases per 100,000 person-years.

  Counts of fatal and non-fatal drowning incidents will be obtained between 2016-2023.

• 30-day survival following drowning incidents in Denmark from 2016-2023

  The primary outcome is 30-day survival (alive/dead).

  30-day follow-up after the drowning incident

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Association between prognostic variables and 30-day survival

  From 2016-2023

• Map of fatal and non-fatal drowning incidents in Denmark from 2016-2023

  From 2016-2023

Study Arms (2)

Fatal drowning

Fatal drowning incident where the patient died because of the drowning process

Other: Drowning incident

Non-fatal drowning

Non-fatal drowning incident where the patient was drowning and can be ascertained to have been experiencing either mild, moderate, or severe respiratory impairment immediately after the drowning process ended but survived.

Other: Drowning incident

Interventions

Drowning incident OTHER

Drowning is defined by the WHO in 2002 as "the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion or immersion in liquid"

Fatal drowning; Non-fatal drowning

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

All drowning patients who have been treated by the Danish prehospital emergency medical services in the period from 2016-2023.

You may qualify if:

• The patient must have been experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion or immersion in liquid AND
• The patient must have been in contact with the Danish prehospital emergency medical services.

You may not qualify if:

• \- Patients were excluded if the incident involved submersion or immersion with aspiration, but the patient did not experience respiratory impairment. For example, if the patient was rescued from the water without signs of respiratory impairment, or if the respondent reported "a few coughs" or "voluntary cough".

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Prehospital Center, Region Zealand: lead

Study Sites (1)

Prehospital Center

Næstved, Region Sjælland, 4700, Denmark

Location

Related Publications (9)

• Weiss J; American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention. Prevention of drowning. Pediatrics. 2010 Jul;126(1):e253-62. doi: 10.1542/peds.2010-1265. Epub 2010 May 24.

  PMID: 20498167 BACKGROUND

• Schmidt AC, Sempsrott JR, Szpilman D, Queiroga AC, Davison MS, Zeigler RJ, McAlister SJ. The use of non-uniform drowning terminology: a follow-up study. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2017 Jul 17;25(1):72. doi: 10.1186/s13049-017-0405-x.

  PMID: 28716063 BACKGROUND

• Papa L, Hoelle R, Idris A. Systematic review of definitions for drowning incidents. Resuscitation. 2005 Jun;65(3):255-64. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2004.11.030.

  PMID: 15919561 BACKGROUND

• Lu TH, Lunetta P, Walker S. Quality of cause-of-death reporting using ICD-10 drowning codes: a descriptive study of 69 countries. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2010 Apr 8;10:30. doi: 10.1186/1471-2288-10-30.

  PMID: 20374660 BACKGROUND

• Steensberg J. Epidemiology of accidental drowning in Denmark 1989-1993. Accid Anal Prev. 1998 Nov;30(6):755-62. doi: 10.1016/s0001-4575(98)00028-1.

  PMID: 9805518 BACKGROUND

• Mackie IJ. Patterns of drowning in Australia, 1992-1997. Med J Aust. 1999 Dec 6-20;171(11-12):587-90. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1999.tb123808.x.

  PMID: 10721338 BACKGROUND

• Truhlar A, Deakin CD, Soar J, Khalifa GE, Alfonzo A, Bierens JJ, Brattebo G, Brugger H, Dunning J, Hunyadi-Anticevic S, Koster RW, Lockey DJ, Lott C, Paal P, Perkins GD, Sandroni C, Thies KC, Zideman DA, Nolan JP; Cardiac arrest in special circumstances section Collaborators. European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015: Section 4. Cardiac arrest in special circumstances. Resuscitation. 2015 Oct;95:148-201. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2015.07.017. Epub 2015 Oct 15. No abstract available.

  PMID: 26477412 BACKGROUND

• Venema AM, Groothoff JW, Bierens JJ. The role of bystanders during rescue and resuscitation of drowning victims. Resuscitation. 2010 Apr;81(4):434-9. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2010.01.005. Epub 2010 Feb 10.

  PMID: 20149515 BACKGROUND

• Idris AH, Berg RA, Bierens J, Bossaert L, Branche CM, Gabrielli A, Graves SA, Handley AJ, Hoelle R, Morley PT, Papa L, Pepe PE, Quan L, Szpilman D, Wigginton JG, Modell JH; American Heart Association. Recommended guidelines for uniform reporting of data from drowning: the "Utstein style". Circulation. 2003 Nov 18;108(20):2565-74. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000099581.70012.68. No abstract available.

  PMID: 14623794 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Drowning

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Death; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Wounds and Injuries

Study Officials

• Niklas Breindahl, MD, PhD

  Prehospital Center, Region Zealand

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: RETROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Medical Doctor, PhD-student

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 29, 2022
• First Posted: June 21, 2022
• Study Start: January 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: March 31, 2023
• Study Completion: March 1, 2025
• Last Updated: May 4, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-04

Locations

DK (1)