Laryngospasm without water aspiration is which term?

• A. Drowning
• B. Near-Drowning
• C. Dry Drowning
• D. Barotrauma

Answer: (C)

Distinguishing terms in submersion incidents hinges on whether water actually enters the lungs. If the airway closes, such as from laryngospasm, without any water being aspirated into the lungs, the situation is described as dry drowning. The “dry” label emphasizes that pulmonary water is not involved, even though breathing is impaired and asphyxia can occur. In contrast, near-drowning refers to surviving the event, drowning implies the process of asphyxia from immersion (often with water in the lungs), and barotrauma is injury from pressure changes, not related to water aspiration. So the term that fits laryngospasm without water aspiration is dry drowning.