Characteristics of drug‐related deaths where individuals are found submerged in a bath or hot tub in the United Kingdom, 1997–2023

Author:

Roberts Emmert1ORCID,Copeland Caroline2ORCID,Darke Shane3ORCID,Farrell Michael3

Affiliation:

1. National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience King's College London and the South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust London UK

2. Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine King's College London London UK

3. National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre UNSW Sydney Sydney Australia

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionRecent media reports highlight that drug‐related fatalities can occur while individuals are immersed in water in domestic settings. We aimed to determine the case characteristics, circumstances of death and type of implicated drugs among individuals dying due to unintentional drug‐related causes found immersed in a bath or hot tub.MethodsRetrospective cohort study in the United Kingdom using coronial records from the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths, 1997–2023. Information was available on decedent socio‐demographics, characteristics of death and drugs implicated in death.ResultsOne hundred fifty‐six decedents were found immersed in the bath and six in a hot tub, a mean of 6.4 deaths per year (SD 3.7; range 1–13). Overall decedents were predominantly male (n = 94, 58.0%), of White ethnicity (n = 98, 60.5%) with a mean age of 40 years (SD 13; range 19–74). Only 12 decedents had any physical contributory factor to death other than poisoning or drowning. The median number of drugs detected at post‐mortem was 3 (interquartile range 2, 5) with multiple drug toxicity implicated in the majority of cases (n = 90, 55.6%). The most common implicated drugs were heroin (n = 53, 32.7%), alcohol (n = 46, 28.4%) and cocaine (n = 33, 20.4%).Discussion and ConclusionsOver the last two decades in the United Kingdom there have been consistent numbers of unintentional drug‐related deaths each year where individuals were found in a bath or hot tub. Polysubstance, opioid and alcohol use are overrepresented. Targeted advice to avoid bathing while intoxicated would appear to be an appropriate harm reduction message.

Funder

National Institute for Health and Care Research

Publisher

Wiley

Reference22 articles.

1. The epidemiology of drowning worldwide

2. Unintentional drowning mortality, by age and body of water: an analysis of 60 countries

3. StevensM TaylorDB.Matthew Perry Died of ‘Acute Effects of Ketamine ’ Autopsy Says. The New York Times (Digital Edition). 2023: NA‐NA.

4. National Water Safety Forum.A future without drowning: The UK Drowning Prevention Strategy 2016–2026.2015. Available from:https://www.nationalwatersafety.org.uk/media/1005/uk-drowning-prevention-strategy.pdf

5. Office for National Statistics (ONS) released 19 December.ONS website statistical bulletin Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales: 2022 registrations.2023Available from:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsrelatedtodrugpoisoninginenglandandwales/2022registrations

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