Saltwater Aspiration Syndrome

[Bryan]

I worked as an ER tech back in the late 70's, and treated a number of patients who had been intubated. No, what I experienced was bloody sputum that had a few bubbles. It was not frothy at all. My guess is that I had irritated my trachea, and possibly the uppermost section of the bronchi, from the inhaled water. The sputum was not pinkish and frothy as would be seen from any form of pulmonary edema.

Still...Not a good experience, especially while submerged.

Greg

Greg's description is pretty accurate for mine as well.....I have seen divers with DCS and one with an embolism and mine was not like that.......More like when you have an upper respiratory infection and you cough and cough and cough and eventually spit and stuff gets some blood in it..

[Ron]

Yeah, mine was definitely pink. It looked exactly like what I have seen pulmonary edema look like in medical text books.

[Nemrod]

Whatever sort of underwater acrobatics you were doing with whatever piece of equipment you were using that resulted in pink, frothy sputum issuing from your body, I would consider that a major malfunction and I would recommend you stop doing and stop using whatever it was that led to this incident.

Nem

[Ron]

I was actually upside down breathing from a broxton with a one piece hose. Some water exchanges at the duckbill, and I should have been more careful.