What happens when you drown...?

Question

... I seen a programme with a german pathologist, who showed that it's not the water that kills it's being in the water that kills because of a reaction where your body essentially axphixiates itself.

Is there any truth in this.

Apparently laryngospasm has something to do with it, but on wiki it's not clear as to whether this is a continual reaction even after unconsciousness...

Yes the information about the lack of water, where did that come from?

Answer 1

I can't say as I've not drowned yet.

Answer 2

This may be right:

In order to explain this, I should highlight how the breathing system works.

Behind your mouth is throat, which splits into 2 tubes:
Osopheagous (sp) goes to your Stomach
Trachea goes to your lungs

If you look in your mouth, do you see the little thing hanging down at the back (Cartoons draw it as a punch bag). This little thing does 2 things; It tells your body that food is coming down and it prevents too large an item coming down (Large items will trigger the gag reflex).

At the top of your trachea is a small muscle called the Epiglotos. When the previously mentioned 'dangly bit' senses food, the epiglotos closes and food passes into the Osopheagous to the stomach.

In the event of drowning, the shortage of air prompts the body to override the epiglotos and open the lungs, in a desperate attempt to get air. The opening of the epiglotos allows water to enter the lungs.

Upon water entering the lungs, the body reacts by the epiglotos sealing tight, and the larynx closes to further stop water entering, but the larynx cannot reopen (It enters a state called Larynxaspasmodica, which is a spasm of the larynx). The abscence of oxygen, the body dies of asphixia.

Pathologists and Coroners etc can tell its drowning due to water in the lungs. A body found in water without water in the lungs is more likely to have an alternative COD (Cause of Death).

Answer 3

When water or any other substance enters the lungs, involuntary muscles quickly cut off the airway. As long as the substance is detected by the body to be still within the airway these muscles will not allow anything throw, including air. As a result you suffocate. Even after death these muscles will not open up the airway. If a body is found in the water and there is little or no water in the lungs the cause of death is drowning. If the lungs contain water then the person was dead before they entered the water. If at the time of death these muscles are relaxed, they would remain that way after death, allowing the water to freely enter the lungs after being placed in the water.

Answer 4

Well, for those that may not know, asphyxiation simply means to die from a lack of oxygen and laryngospasm would be a result of the larynx spasming in a last ditch effort to obtain oxygen.

Anyway, you probably already know that your heart sends blood to your lungs to pick up Oxygen. Unfortunately, while Oxygen is present in water, it is only about 10% the amount that there is in the air, and the site on the lungs where the blood capillaries meet the alveoli are not equipped to abstract oxygen from water.

Therefore, O2 extraction from the environment fails and thus asphixiation occurs. So yes, there is truth to this. Hope I understood your question correctly!

Answer 5

Drowning is death as caused by suffocation when a liquid causes interruption of the body's absorption of oxygen from the air leading to asphyxia. The primary cause of death is hypoxia and acidosis leading to cardiac arrest.

Answer 6

well i fink its because when you are fully submerged in water, you still need to breath, so you open your mouth to get oxygen from the air, however, there is only water there so your lungs fill up with water and your body cells dont get the oxygen they require to work so..............your body cells stop working and you die.

Answer 7

Your lungs are filled up with water which stops gas exchange.

Answer 8

You were created in fluid but your body will not accept water in your lungs so they close down

Answer 9

what i know is that the water gets in the lung and prevents the gas exchange.

Answer 10

uh no bc when u drown .. its because water is filling ur lungs and water is not suppsed to be there and ur not breathing air ..so no air is getting to ur brain .. adn u die

Answer 11

You take in water, lots of it.