By Sean Hulsman

Among respiratory and cardiac arrest victims, drowning patients pose special challenges. Far from simple suffocation, the process of drowning results in several significant physiologic changes which EMS providers must deal with. Treating the drowning patient can be made easier with a functional understanding of the physiology of drowning and the use of waveform capnography. Read Drowning patient resuscitation and monitoring and then take this quiz to test your knowledge of drowning physiology and capnography.

About the Author:

Sean Hulsman, MEd, EMT-P is Director of Education at Twin City Ambulance Corporation in Western New York. He began his EMS career in 1992 and continues to teach and work in the field. You can contact Sean via his blog: Coarse Asystole.