Drowning and near-drowning incidents are leading causes of
mortality and morbidity in both children and adults .
Over the
past 30 years, there has been considerable interest in cold-water
immersion incidents, particularly the reasons for the survival of
some victims under seemingly fatal conditions. Research suggests
that both hypothermia and a “mammalian diving reflex” (MDR)
may account for survival in many near-drowning episodes .
However, the extent to which these two processes interact is not