Poisoning: First -Aid what every one should know?

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Everyone in one’s life encounter at least one poisoning event. This may be accidental or incidental. Many of you being at a remote place may be confused what to do if someone has ingested poison or toxic substance. Really this is more challenging when you are miles away from a qualified medical practitioner or primary health center. It is not always possible to keep antidotes of everything with you. After going through this post, you may feel yourself at ease in providing first- aid to a poisoned person.

Steps which can be proved helpful in most of the cases of poisoning:

1.Arrange for transport to the nearest hospital or qualified healthcare service provider.2.Give reassurance to the person.

3.By the time you make arrangement of his transport you should not waste the time. Except for strong corrosive acids or alkali and liquid petroleum derivatives you can do induction of vomiting to enable the cleaning off poisons from the stomach.

For this do the following

Make salt water solution by mixing 4 to 5 teaspoonful table salt in one liter of drinking water and give the person to drink. One glass two glass three glass four glass make more such solution and repeat till he vomits.

 

Or you may ask him to press the root of the tongue with middle finger deep in the mouth while in forward bend position. If vomited look for the contents or substances he ingested.

After one vomit repeat the salt water solution intake again and induce vomiting again.(warning nothing should be given if the patient is unconscious or in sleep)Again look for the contents. If it is still coming repeat the process. If you are sure that all the stomach contents are out and only water is coming in the vomit then go to the next step.

4.Give the person charcoal to eat. How would you find the charcoal?

If you can get bread, I think this you can get every where. Just burn the bread in direct flame such that it is totally black. Two slices of bread is enough. Tell the person to eat the two totally burnt slices.

Go to the next step

5.Give the person two raw eggs white to eat. Go to next step

6.Give him black tea ( full glass) to drink

7.Send the person to hospital

Note: such persons may be dehydrated, so it is a good idea to give him oral re-hydration solution or home made ORS(FOR DETAILS SEE MY POST ON DIARRHEA)

This First-Aid only provide you some time for the person and there are specific methods for specific poisons which is not possible to cover completely. This post is for common person who can make some difference if he applies these things.

One more thing I would like to add, if you know the chemical ingested and you can have the container with you of that chemical, you should carry the container with label intact to show the doctor who will attend the person.

Further there are many poisons which gets absorbed from the skin, so it is good to give him shower and change the clothes to prevent further absorption of the poison. If the poison ingested is acid, give him alkaline drink like milk in ample amount to neutralize the acid. Similarly ,if the poison is alkaline, lemon juice with water, orange juice can be given.

If you are working in a plant where different chemicals are used, you can find material safety data sheet(MSDS) about that chemical in which you may find first-aid measures for that chemical.