Intoxication is defined as the introduction of a toxic substance into the body of a human being. For this reason, in the case of intoxication, the aims of first aid for intoxication is to eliminate the toxic substance as soon as possible.
Among the most common intoxications are food intoxication, medication intoxication, and chemical intoxication, such as carbon monoxide, insecticides, cleaning products, among others.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF INTOXICATION?
The symptoms of intoxication vary greatly depending on the type of toxin ingested. Abdominal pain and symptoms of digestive tract intolerance, such as vomiting and diarrhea, are common. After the toxin has been absorbed in the intestine, the first organ to try to neutralize it and therefore suffer the consequences of the same, is the liver.
When the body tries to get rid of the toxin, the body that does so suffers damage that is sometimes irreparable, especially the kidney, which is the one that eliminates the toxin the least and in the greatest quantity. Other elimination routes are the glands of the digestive tract, such as the salivary, gastric, intestinal, liver and pancreas glands.
It is very common, as a result of this, for the liver to be damaged. The respiratory system eliminates gaseous poisons. The skin can also eliminate certain toxic substances.
WHAT IS FIRST AID FOR INTOXICATION?
In general, the first aid management for intoxication is as follows:
- The basic step in the treatment of intoxication is try to eliminate the poison from the stomach as soon as possible. This can be achieved by giving the poisoned person milk (do not give milk if the poison is a pesticide, phosphorus or cantharides) or four egg whites beaten in a litre of water.
- Try to make him vomit by touching the base of his tongue with a cotton swab or your fingers. Repeat the process until he vomits.
- Call the nearest doctor.
- Speed up the elimination of the poison from the digestive tract and, for the part already absorbed, try to facilitate its elimination from the rest of the body as much as possible.
- Support the body in its fight to neutralise and eliminate the poison.
- Keep breathing and circulation normal. Avoid cooling the patient.
First aid for alcohol intoxication
The first aid treatment for alcohol intoxication is:
A) If the intoxication is mild
- Keep the person in bed with cold water towels over the head.
- Give strong coffee with ten drops of ammonia.
B) If the intoxication is severe
- Prevent the person from cooling down.
- If he or she does not vomit spontaneously, wash the stomach with water in which 20 grams of Merck Ultracarbon are diluted per liter to eliminate the alcohol that it may still contain.
- If not, give the person vomiting. Do not give apomorphine.
- Give coramine or cardiazole (metrazol), strong coffee with ten drops of ammonia.
C) Coma due to alcohol
- Place ice on the head, mustard plasters on the lower limbs.
- Coramine or cardiazole in large doses.
First aid for intoxication by cleaning products
To know what to do, you must first determine which cleaning product is causing the intoxication. The most common are chlorine and detergents.
A) First aid for intoxication from chlorinated vapours
- Have the patient inhale ammonium vapours.
- Take the patient to fresh air and, if necessary, perform mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration.
- Complete rest for the poisoned person, as exertion tends to cause acute pulmonary oedema.
B) First aid for intoxication from ingestion of chlorinated substances
- Give water containing 10% sodium hyposulfite (sodium thiosulfate) to drink.
- If the ingested liquid is strongly alkaline, also give lemon juice or diluted vinegar (100 grams in one litre of water).
- If the ingestion was chlorinated water, add a few teaspoons of calcined magnesia (magnesia oxide) to the sodium hyposulfite solution.
C) First aid in case of detergent intoxication
- Immediately give milk or milk powder at 30 or 40%.
- Then perform gastric lavage with Merck ultracarbon at 20 per thousand and leave 30 grams of sodium sulphate in the stomach before removing the tube (for an adult).
- Take the patient to a medical centre in case respiratory depression or convulsions appear.
- Do not give alcoholic beverages.
First aid for intoxication by insecticides and pesticides
In order to provide first aid in the case of intoxication by insecticides and pesticides, two types of insecticides must be distinguished, based on their composition and the symptoms they produce and their treatment: organochlorine insecticides and organophosphate insecticides.
Organochlorine insecticides include DDT, Lindance or Gamexane, Chlordane, Aldrin, Dieldrin, Eudrin, etc. Organophosphate pesticides include Parathion, Malathion, Diazinon, OMPA, TEPP, etc.
A) First aid in case of intoxication by organochlorine insecticides
- If there was contact with the skin, wash it with soapy water or bicarbonate.
- Eliminate the toxic substance from the stomach by means of a copious stomach wash with bicarbonate water.
- If there is no suitable material for this, while the doctor is coming, make the patient vomit. Then give 30 grams of salt to help eliminate the toxic substance.
- It is useful to give milk of magnesia by mouth. It may be useful to administer calcium gluconate by injection. Do not give fats, oil, milk or adrenaline.
B) First aid in case of intoxication by organophosphate insecticides
- If the poisoning has occurred by contact of the toxic substance with the skin.
- Decontaminate the patient by bathing with warm bicarbonate or soapy water. Change the clothes.
- If the poisoning is due to ingestion, and the patient does not vomit, wash the stomach with Merck ultracharcoal (20 grams per liter) or with sodium bicarbonate (also 20 grams per liter of water).
First aid for carbon monoxide intoxication
The first aid treatment for carbon monoxide intoxication is:
- Remove the patient from the environment where he was poisoned and place him in fresh air.
- Have him inhale the mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide mentioned below.
- If he is not breathing, apply artificial respiration, having him inhale, if possible, a mixture of 5 to 7% carbon dioxide and pure oxygen. Experiments show that one hour of breathing this gas eliminates all the poison.
- If facilities are at hand, give a blood transfusion, provided it is done at the beginning.
- Warm compresses and blankets to keep the patient warm and prevent shock.
First aid for food intoxication
To know how to give first aid for food intoxication, the first thing to take into account is the cause of the intoxication. Among the most common food intoxication are contamination with staphylococci and food contaminated with salmonella.
A) First aid for staphylococcal food intoxication
In the case of food intoxication due to contamination with staphylococci, the symptoms are due to a toxic substance produced by staphylococcus (enterotoxin) that has developed in a food (meat, milk, cheese, pastries and other similar products).
From 2 to 6 hours after ingestion of the contaminated food, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea appear. Dizziness, muscle pain and general depression with cold and clammy skin may be observed.
The first aid for staphylococcal food intoxication is as follows:
- If vomiting and diarrhea are profuse, they will probably eliminate the ingested food and the toxin it contains. If vomiting was not very frequent, it should be induced by giving several glasses of warm water, if possible with 20 grams of activated charcoal per liter of water, and then touching the base of the tongue or the pharynx with a finger or a cotton swab.
- Symptoms usually disappear spontaneously within 8 to 12 hours of onset, but there is marked weakness, sometimes lasting for several days.
- For abdominal cramps, apply warm compresses, which will also help prevent the patient from cooling down.
- Give liquids, by the spoonful at first (fruit juices, water, infusions).
- Later, feed the patient small amounts of cooked cereals, gradually increasing the diet.
- For irritation of the digestive tract, give one gram of bismuth subcarbonate mixed with water 20 minutes before each meal.
B) First aid in case of intoxication by food contaminated with salmonella
Salmonella is generally found in water or in contaminated food, especially poultry or beef, eggs and dairy products. The disease occurs in humans when these contaminated foods are consumed.
The time it takes for the infection to show symptoms varies greatly, as it can be hours or even days. In many cases, these symptoms do not occur.
The most common symptoms of salmonella intoxication are chills, nausea and vomiting, followed shortly after by abdominal cramping, diarrhea and fever. The number of bowel movements and their consistency varies. The stools are typically watery, greenish in color and have a very unpleasant odor, sometimes with mucus and stained with blood.
The first aid for food intoxication with salmonella is:
- The patient must be kept in bed and covered. Fluids must be restored intravenously; sometimes antidiarrheals and antibiotics, such as Ampicillin or Chloramphenicol, must be administered.
- The best prophylaxis to avoid this disease is to consume uncontaminated water and food and to vaccinate those who are most exposed.
- Whether antibiotics or sulfa drugs must be given to destroy salmonella will be decided in each case by the doctor.
- Take precautions as in typhoid fever to avoid contagion.
