Within a three-year period from 2019 to 2022, this retrospective observational study aims to provide an inventory of pre-hospital practices by the EMS in the Var department and to describe drowning patients' characteristics as well as their outcome, according to the initial regulation and the type of care. These data could help for pre-hospital care management.
According to the 9th edition of NOYADES survey, 1480 drownings accidents occurred in France in 2021, of which 146 (i.e. nearly 10%), were in the Var department. These patient's care involve in first place the Emergency Medical Service (EMS).~To date, there is no recommendation from French or European academic societies of emergency medicine formalising pre-hospital care of these patients (except for the specific case of cardiac arrest). This absence of recommendation therefore favours heterogeneity of practices.