Paediatric Emergency Department, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, UK. maryryan@blueyonder.co.uk
Normothermia must be established in drowning victims before death may be declared, as the myocardium may remain resistant to stimulation at subnormal temperatures, and complete neurological recovery from submersion associated hypothermia has been reported. A safe and effective method of external re-warming is described that may prove particularly useful in the paediatric population.