When drowning victims need further medical help
| Send to the hospital if victim has any of the following: |
| Loss of consciousness |
| Altered mental state |
| Required positive pressure ventilation |
| Requires supplemental oxygen |
| Required cardiopulmonary resuscitation |
| Low oxygen saturation |
| Abnormal lung auscultation |
| Hypotension |
| Continued chest pain or dyspnea |
| Suspected traumatic injury |
| An underlying medical condition is expected or exacerbated: |
| Cardiac ischemia |
| Seizure disorder |
| Stroke |
| Respiratory disease |
| Intoxication |
| Consider releasing victims who have all of the following after 10–15 minutes of close observation: |
| On basic assessment |
| No cough |
| Normal respiratory effort and rate |
| Normal skin color and perfusion |
| Normal mentation |
| No shivering |
| On advanced evaluation (prehospital care) |
| Normal oxygen saturation |
| Normal pulse rate and blood pressure |
| Normal lung sounds |