What is the relationship between poisoning and accidental first aid

Judging from the practical experience of frontline emergency care, the two are essentially symbiotic in nature - poisoning itself is one of the highest incidence scenarios of accidental first aid, and the standards for poisoning first aid are a core component of the modern accidental first aid system and cannot be separated at all.

Last week, the night shift received 120 medical bills. A suburban farmer's family killed the New Year pig and served the half-cooked Xuewang on the table. All 8 people in the family suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, and two of them were unconscious. When they were sent, the family thought it was a collective cold. If the nurse who visited the clinic had not been experienced enough to replenish fluids and perform basic treatment according to the food poisoning process on the way, there is no telling how long the delay would have been.

Many people’s impressions of accidental first aid are still limited to hemostatic bandaging, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the Heimlich maneuver. Little do they know that various types of poisoning account for about 30% of the daily accidents that require first aid, ranging from a child swallowing a button battery, to an elderly man taking his wife’s antihypertensive medicine by mistake, to poisoning from a chemical leak in a factory, or food poisoning during a team building group. They are all typical scenarios that straddle the line between “poisoning” and “accidental first aid.”

There are now a lot of controversies on the Internet about first aid for poisoning. Many people think that no matter what the poisoning is, just induce vomiting as soon as possible. We front-line medical staff are sweating when we see this statement. I previously treated an older sister who accidentally drank toilet cleaner. She desperately picked her throat at home to induce vomiting. Originally, she only suffered slight gastric mucosal burns. During the process of inducing vomiting, the strong acid repeatedly burned the esophagus and throat. In the end, the esophagus became narrow and she couldn't even swallow porridge. It took her more than half a month to recover in the hospital. You see, if you don't understand the special first aid regulations for poisoning and follow the general accident first aid method randomly, it will be easy to do bad things with good intentions.

If the accident first aid system is compared to a household first aid box at home, then the poisoning-related disposal standards are the set of tools in the box that are suitable for the most scenarios. It is not a single thing, but has completely different uses for different types of poisoning, and must be matched with other first aid skills. For example, in case of gas poisoning that is common in winter, you must open windows and doors as soon as possible and move people to an open and ventilated area. This is not only a targeted treatment to prevent the poisoning from deepening, but also the first step in accidental first aid. It is impossible to separate which part is poisoning treatment and which part is routine accidental first aid.

When I go to the community to do science popularization, I often tell uncles and aunts, don’t think that “poisoning” is a rare thing only seen on TV. One day, you have vomiting and diarrhea after eating overnight cold dishes, or you feel dizzy and nauseated while baking in a coal stove. Don’t think about it first. This is a poisoning accident that requires first aid. Call 120 early to explain the situation clearly, which is much more reliable than looking for random remedies on your own.