Primary or Secondary Drowning

According to WHO's rules, any death certificate must state the underlying cause of death and contributory causes of death may also be stated.

Differentiating between primary and secondary drowning is difficult, as information preceding the drowning incident is rarely available. Yet, knowing the most frequent causes of secondary drowning may provide useful information to healthcare professionals working in prehospital Emergency Medical Services, as this may affect prehospital treatment.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Key information

Conditions

Drowning Asphyxia Death Drowning and Submersion Due to Fall Off Ship Drowning and Submersion Due to Sailboat Sinking Drowning and Submersion While in Bath-Tub Drowning and Submersion While in Natural Water Drowning and Submersion While in Swimming-Pool Drowning and Submersion, Undetermined Intent Drowning in Swimming Pool Drowning or Immersion of Unknown Intent Drowning, Near Drowning/Diving/SCUBA Accident Drowning; Anoxia Drowning; Asphyxia Hypoxia Near Drowning Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms, Respiratory Wounds and Injuries

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Prehospital Center

Næstved, Region Sjælland, 4700, Denmark

About this study

The annual death statistics are based solely on the underlying cause of death, that is the disease or condition which started the process that led to death. The conditions that directly caused the death are also to be stated by the physician on the death certificate and may be included in the statistics. In research projects, data on those contributory causes of death may be drawn from the register. It is now the medical doctor who has verified the death and issued the death certificate indicating the underlying and contributory causes of death, who also classifies these causes in accordance with ICD-10 and fills in the coded data on the electronic death certificate. The Danish Register of Causes of Death is, thus, updated without central validation of the classification and relies entirely on the coding done by individual physicians.

This study aims to characterise fatal drowning incidents as primary or secondary drownings and report the frequencies of secondary drowning causes.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

All drowning patients registered in the Danish Prehospital Drowning Data AND
Having a fatal outcome within 30 days after the drowning incident AND
Having a valid civil registration number in the Danish Prehospital Drowning Data
Being able to link data from the Danish Register of Causes of Death

Exclusion criteria

Patients alive 30 days after the drowning incident
Patients with an invalid civil registration number in the Danish Prehospital Drowning Data
Patients where data cannot be retrieved from the Danish Register of Causes of Death

Treatment and study plan

Drowning

Other

Drowning is defined as the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion or immersion in liquid.

Primary outcomes

Autopsy rate

Time frame: Data is extracted on patients registered in the Danish Prehospital Drowning Data from 2016-2023.

Calculated as the number of autopsy reports divided by the number of fatal drowning incidents registered in the Danish Prehospital Drowning Data.
Primary fatal drowning rate

Time frame: Data is extracted on patients registered in the Danish Prehospital Drowning Data from 2016-2023.

Calculated as the number of autopsy reports stating drowning as the underlying cause of death divided by the number of fatal drowning incidents registered in the Danish Prehospital Drowning Data.
Secondary fatal drowning rate

Time frame: Data is extracted on patients registered in the Danish Prehospital Drowning Data from 2016-2023.

Calculated as the number of autopsy reports stating drowning as the contributory cause of death OR not stating drowning as a contributory cause of death divided by the number of fatal drowning incidents registered in the Danish Prehospital Drowning Data.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Prehospital Center, Region Zealand

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Primary or Secondary Fatal Drowning? A Registry-based Study Analysing Autopsy Reports From Patients Registered in the Danish Prehospital Drowning Data

Acronym: DROWN_COD

Important dates

Study start: 2016
Primary completion: 2025
Study completion: 2026
First posted: Mar 15, 2024
Registry last updated: Aug 27, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Recruiting