What are the methods and measures related to poisoning and accidental first aid

Essentially, poisoning is a high-frequency treatment scenario for accidental first aid. The two are in a subordinate and adaptive relationship - the general guidelines for accidental first aid must be adjusted according to the pathological specificity of poisoning in order to minimize damage. All subsequent treatment methods are also extended around this core relationship.

I encountered a particularly impressive case when I was rotating in the grassroots emergency department two years ago. A tenant in an urban village mistakenly drank two sips of herbicide in a mineral water bottle. My roommate had learned some Heimlich maneuver before, so he picked his throat to induce vomiting. As a result, the patient was already a little confused at the time, and the vomit was directly sucked into the trachea. When it was delivered, the blood oxygen was almost gone. It took more effort to deal with aspiration pneumonia than to remove the poison. This is a typical example of not clarifying the relationship between the two, and applying the first aid logic of ordinary airway foreign bodies to the poisoning scenario, but it is not helpful.

Speaking of which, I have to mention that there are currently different opinions in the industry on whether to induce vomiting in pre-hospital first aid for poisoning. The old school of emergency personnel believe that as long as the patient is conscious within 1 hour of taking the poison, inducing vomiting can reduce the absorption of poison the fastest, especially in remote areas far away from the hospital. In some areas, this step can even save lives; however, the new consensus in recent years is that it is not recommended for ordinary people to induce vomiting on their own. After all, it is difficult for people without professional training to control the intensity and indications. On the contrary, it is easy to cause secondary injuries such as aspiration and digestive tract tears, and the risks far outweigh the benefits.

In fact, aside from the controversial operations, most poisoning first aid measures are an extension of the general principles of accidental first aid. Just like when you pump up a basketball, you cannot directly hit it with a bicycle pump. It is not that the pump is useless, but that it needs to be adapted to the corresponding air nozzle. For example, the first step in ordinary accidental first aid requires getting out of the dangerous environment. In a poisoning scenario, the first step is to open the window and move the person outside for carbon monoxide poisoning. For pesticide spraying, the first step is to evacuate to a place upwind where no poisonous substances are scattered. Even the rescuer must first wear a mask and gloves for protection, otherwise he will get in without saving the person. We encounter two or three cases of this kind of serial poisoning every year.

When encountering poisoning, the most important thing ordinary people should do is not to mess around with feeding or inducing vomiting. They should first find out the cause of the poisoning, whether it is what they ate, came into contact with or inhaled. Pack up the remaining poison, medicine bottles and even vomitus, and give it directly to the doctor when you get to the hospital. It can save a lot of time for testing, and it is 10 times more effective than messing around at home. If the skin is stained with corrosive poisons, cut off the stained clothes immediately and rinse with plenty of running water at room temperature for more than 15 minutes. Don’t look for acid-base neutralizers. A patient was exposed to sulfuric acid before and his family members applied baking soda on it. The heat released by the neutralization reaction directly burned the second-degree burns into third-degree burns. The gain outweighs the gain.

To put it bluntly, the relationship between the two is not that complicated. Poisoning is a special type of accident. Pay more attention when giving first aid. Don't rely on your experience of ordinary trauma and ordinary emergencies. If you are not sure, call 120 and ask the operator. Do whatever they say. The key is not to cause trouble. Help the patient to be carried to the hospital. This is the most effective first aid.