[Hypothermia helps in the drowned child. Report of a case]. / L'hypothermie au secours de l'enfant noyé. A propos d'un cas.

Near-drowning is a leading cause of childhood mortality. Early induction of deep hypothermia has a protective effect on the brain, however. Favorable factors, most marked in early childhood, are both anatomic and physiologic. No parameter capable of predicting good neurologic recovery was identified by a review of the literature. Management rests on internal warming techniques and should be initiated immediately whenever apparent death occurs after exposure to cold. The case of a 29-month-old child who had complete cardiorespiratory arrest and a fall in body temperature to 22 degrees C after near-drowning and who made a full neurologic recovery is reported.