What term does the medical community increasingly use for the entire spectrum of physical harm following a submersion event?
Answer
submersion injury
The term submersion injury is utilized by the medical community as a broad, encompassing descriptor for all the physical harm that can result from being immersed in liquid to the point where the respiratory system is impaired. This shift away from strictly categorizing outcomes as fatal or nonfatal drowning recognizes that even survivors may have sustained significant internal damage requiring immediate and ongoing medical care. This injury category acknowledges that the pathological process initiated by the interruption of oxygen intake is complex and extends beyond just survival or death, especially encompassing the physical harm incurred by those who survive the initial event.
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