fresh water drowning

A type of drowning in which hypo-osmolar water compromises the surface tension of alveolar surfactant, causing an imbalance in the ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) ratio, with a collapse of some alveoli, and both true—absolute—and relative intrapulmonary shunting

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

fresh water drowning

A type of drowning in which hypo-osmolar water compromises the surface tension of alveolar surfactant, causing an imbalance in the ventilation-perfusion–V/Q ratio, with a collapse of some alveoli, and both true–absolute, and relative–intrapulmonary shunting. See Drowning. Cf Salt water drowning.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.