Poisoning occurs when a poison enters the body, which can be any substance that has an harmful effects, and sometimes even leading to fatal outcome. It is important to remember that poison can enter in various ways: through the mouth, lungs, skin (more often in children), mucous membranes (eyes, nose, etc.), insect and snake bites. First aid and treatment of poisoning largely depend on how the poison entered the body, as well as on the condition of the patient.
First aid can be provided both by strangers and by the victims themselves. It often turns out that timely first aid in the treatment of poisoning helps save lives. According to statistics, in the vast majority of cases, household poisoning accounts for 97-98%, while industrial poisoning accounts for only 2-3%.
Household poisonings are divided into alcohol intoxication, domestic accidents and suicidal poisonings undertaken intentionally. More than 500 toxic substances are described in the literature.
In case of poisoning alcohol, poor quality food, mushrooms, poisonous plants and their fruits, and other poisons, When poison enters the body through the mouth. If the victim is conscious, he is given a drink large number liquids, then induce vomiting by pressing on the root of the tongue (for persons over 6 years old) with fingers, the procedure is repeated until the rinses are clean.
After gastric lavage, crushed powder is used in the treatment of poisoning. activated carbon(1 tablet per 10 kg of weight), smecta and other sorbents. You can take white clay, a saline laxative.
The victim is placed in a recovery position - on his side (so that he does not choke on vomit), and his legs are warmed with heating pads. They give drinking plenty of fluids(tea and water are suitable for this).
An emergency medical team is called as soon as possible to hospitalize the victim, as his condition may worsen. It is advisable to save and give to the doctor the substance that poisoned the patient.
In case of poisoning with acids (vinegar) and alkalis, it is impossible to rinse the stomach.
In case of gaseous poisoning chemicals (carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, ammonia, bromine vapor, hydrogen fluoride, chlorine, sulfur dioxide, etc..),When the poison enters the body through the lungs when inhaled. According to the frequency of gas poisoning, poisoning carbon monoxide occurs more often than poisoning with other gaseous poisons. Carbon monoxide is formed when any type of fuel is burned: gas, oil, kerosene, wood or coal.
In case of poisoning carbon monoxide, the victim must first be taken to fresh air, provide him with a comfortable horizontal position, free him from restrictive clothing.
It is necessary to rub the victim’s body, then wrap him warmly, apply warming pads to his legs, let him sniff cotton wool with ammonia, if the victim is conscious, he can rinse his throat and mouth with a soda solution. In case of absence of breathing or its significant weakening, artificial respiration must be started .
Regardless of the degree of poisoning, the victim is hospitalized in a hospital in case complications from the nervous and respiratory systems arise later;
In case of poisoning by toxic substances penetrating through the skin(some poisonous plants, chemical solvents and insect repellents - FOS - organophosphorus compounds (karbofos, dichlorvos, etc.)), the poison penetrates the body through the skin and mucous surfaces.
If a toxic substance gets on the skin, you need to remove this substance from the surface of the skin as quickly as possible with a cotton or gauze swab or rag, being careful not to smear it on the surface of the skin.
After this, the skin should be washed thoroughly warm water with soap or a weak solution of drinking (baking) soda, treat the affected area on the skin with a 5-10% solution of ammonia. If there is a wound, such as a burn, apply a clean or sterile wet bandage. Next, rinse the stomach twice with a 2% solution baking soda(1 tsp soda per 1 glass of water).
Then you should drink 0.5 cups of a 2% solution of baking soda with the addition of activated carbon or a saline laxative. The victim is given strong tea to drink. Wait for the ambulance team to arrive.
If a toxic substance gets into your eyes, rinse them immediately with a stream of water with your eyelids open. Rinsing should be thorough for 20-30 minutes, since even a small amount of a toxic substance that gets into the eyes can cause them deep lesions. After rinsing the eyes, apply a dry bandage and immediately consult an eye doctor.
Poisoning is a systemic damage to the body due to the ingestion of toxic substances. The poison can enter the body through the mouth, respiratory tract or skin. Distinguish the following types poisonings:
In case of poisoning, all functions of the body are affected, but the activity of the nervous, digestive and respiratory systems is most severely affected. The consequences of poisoning can be very serious; in severe cases, vital functions are impaired. important organs can lead to death, which is why first aid in case of poisoning is extremely important, and sometimes a person’s life depends on how timely and correctly it is provided.
Principles of rendering emergency assistance the following:
It is important to establish exactly what caused the poisoning; this will help you quickly navigate the situation and effectively provide assistance.
Food poisoning is what we most often encounter in everyday life Perhaps there is not a single adult who has not experienced this condition himself. The cause of food poisoning is the ingestion of poor-quality food into the body; as a rule, we are talking about bacterial contamination.
Symptoms of food poisoning usually develop an hour or two after eating. These are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache. In severe cases, vomiting and diarrhea become intense and repeated, and general weakness appears.
First aid for poisoning food products is as follows:
First aid for mushroom poisoning differs from aid for regular food poisoning the fact that the victim must be examined by a doctor, even if the symptoms of poisoning at first glance seem insignificant. The reason is that mushroom poison can cause serious damage nervous system, which does not appear immediately. However, if you wait for symptoms to worsen, help may not arrive in time.
If drug poisoning occurs, you must immediately call a doctor, and before his arrival, it is advisable to find out what the victim took and in what quantity. Signs of poisoning medicinal substances manifest themselves differently depending on the effect of the drug that caused the poisoning. Most often this is a lethargic or unconscious state, vomiting, lethargy, drooling, chills, pallor skin, seizures, strange behavior.
If the victim is conscious, while waiting for the doctor to arrive, it is necessary to carry out the same emergency measures as for food poisoning. An unconscious patient should be placed on his side so that if he begins to vomit, he will not choke on the vomit, keep his pulse and breathing under control, and if they weaken, begin resuscitation measures.
Concentrated acids and alkalis are strong poisons, which, in addition to toxic effects, also cause a burn at the site of contact. Since poisoning occurs when acid or alkali enters the body through the mouth, one of its signs is burns of the mouth and pharynx, and sometimes lips. First aid for poisoning with such substances includes gastric lavage clean water, contrary to popular belief, there is no need to try to inactivate the acid with alkali, and you should not induce vomiting without rinsing. After gastric lavage, in case of acid poisoning, you can give the victim milk or a little vegetable oil to drink.
Poisoning resulting from inhalation of toxic substances is considered one of the most severe types intoxication, since the respiratory system is directly involved in the process, therefore, not only breathing suffers, but also toxic substances quickly penetrate the blood, causing damage to the entire body. Thus, the threat to in this case double – intoxication plus breathing disorder. Therefore, most important measure First aid for poisoning by volatile substances is to provide the victim with clean air.
A conscious person must be taken out into clean air and tight clothing loosened. If possible, rinse your mouth and throat with a soda solution (1 tablespoon per glass of water). If there is no consciousness, the victim should be placed with his head elevated and air flow should be ensured. It is necessary to check the pulse and breathing, and if they are abnormal, carry out resuscitation measures until cardiac and respiratory activity stabilizes or until an ambulance arrives.
Some measures taken as emergency aid in case of poisoning, instead of alleviating the condition of the victim, can cause additional harm to him. Therefore, you should know common mistakes and avoid making them.
So, when providing emergency assistance for poisoning, you should not:
For all types of poisoning, it is necessary to call an ambulance, because Poisoning almost always requires hospitalization. The only exceptions are mild cases of food poisoning, which can be treated at home.
Food poisoning can be bacterial, viral or chemical.
Food poisoning is an intoxication of the body that occurs when eating stale food or food high in toxins. Symptoms develop quickly within 1-6 hours, without treatment the condition worsens greatly. First aid for food poisoning is especially important if the intoxication is caused by meat or fish.
It is necessary to act based on the patient’s condition and the type of food he ate the day before.
If he has a rise high temperature body above 39 ˚С, appeared metallic taste mouth or tongue is numb, call an ambulance immediately. The victim needs emergency medical care.
When intoxicated with fish, there is a high probability of contracting botulism. The disease is manifested by muscle weakness or muscle paralysis, vomiting, partial loss of speech or vision.
First aid for food poisoning at home for an adult looks like this:
| Action | Description of action |
|---|---|
 | Gastric lavage removes toxins from the body. A solution of baking soda is suitable (for 1.5 liters of water, 1 tablespoon of soda). |
 | To induce vomiting, you need to press two fingers on the root of the tongue. Induce vomiting until it is clear. |
 | Taking the sorbent will remove the remaining toxins from the stomach. Activated carbon or its aqueous solution, which acts faster. Dosage – 1 tablet for every 10 kg of person’s weight. Crush the coal and add 100 ml of water. When using white coal reduce the dosage by 2 times. |
 | After severe vomiting it is necessary to restore the fluid deficit to prevent dehydration. Drink rehydration solutions, for example, Regidron or Oralit. |
 | Calling doctors is necessary if first aid does not produce visible results and the patient’s health condition worsens. |
Severe poisoning may be accompanied by respiratory and cardiovascular failure. How to properly provide first aid in this case?
Follow the steps described in the instructions with the photo.
| Action | Description of action |
|---|---|
 | Call an ambulance. |
 | If breathing is impaired, vomiting should not be caused. If fish poisoning occurs, but there is no urge to vomit, it means that it has already left the stomach. |
 | At severe diarrhea You cannot take fixatives. If there is no diarrhea, do a cleansing enema. |
 | Take sorbents such as activated carbon, Enterosgel, Smecta. |
You should immediately call a doctor in the following cases:
Treatment of fish poisoning in children is unacceptable at home.
Prevention of food poisoning is as follows:
Learn more about the symptoms and prevention of food poisoning in the video for this article.
Following the first aid algorithm for food poisoning, the listed actions are often enough to remove toxins from the body. But severe intoxication can cause, and such a condition requires immediate resuscitation.
Food poisoning can take you by surprise anywhere. Incubation period pathogenic organisms The caller is very short. Therefore, already 2-6 hours after eating low-quality food, symptoms begin to appear: stomach cramps, nausea and diarrhea. This is a common phenomenon, so everyone should know what to take and do in case of poisoning.
To begin to help the victim at home, you need to know what signs to identify food poisoning. These include:
The patient's condition is not critical, but very unpleasant. If symptoms become significantly worse, the cause may be salmonellosis, in which case you should consult a doctor.
The most dangerous food poisoning disease is botulism. Caused by botulinum toxin produced in home canned food prepared using the wrong technology. This toxin causes disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system. There may be visual distortions and difficulty speaking. In rare cases, visual hallucinations occur. The greatest danger is weakness in the muscles throughout the body: it starts with the muscles respiratory system, patients may experience breathing problems and outright suffocate.
When the symptoms of poisoning become aggravated, accompanied by painful sensations in the liver or kidney area, disorders of the nervous system or difficulty breathing, you need to call an ambulance rather than try to do something about it yourself.
What to do in case of food poisoning? In case of severe intoxication, you must first call an ambulance. During the time that doctors will travel, it is important to help the poisoned person relieve symptoms and avoid worsening the condition. First aid must also be provided for minor poisonings, when there is no need to call doctors.
The patient needs to be provided with bed rest and complete rest. It is better to lie on your side, since if nausea and vomiting develop, you can choke on the vomit. Next, you should do gastric lavage, for this the patient needs to drink a lot of liquid (water or soda solution, solution of potassium permanganate) until there is only water in the vomit - this is a mandatory step in eliminating severe intoxication syndrome.
To lavage the stomach, a solution of potassium permanganate is prepared as follows: into warm boiled water, heated to room temperature and slightly above -25-40 degrees, add a solution of potassium permanganate until the solution turns dark pink - for adults, for children use the solution pale pink. Drink 2-3 liters of solution, then induce vomiting by pressing on the root of the tongue.
If there are signs of food poisoning, the victim must be given first aid. It includes a very unpleasant, but necessary procedure- gastric lavage at home. To do this, drink a large amount boiled water and induce vomiting. The stomach is washed until clear water comes out of the mouth. To stimulate gag reflexes, several crystals of potassium permanganate or baking soda can be used.
After washing, the patient is recommended to take sorbent drugs that slow down the absorption of harmful toxins into the intestines. They are taken every 15 minutes during the first hour, washed down with a small amount of boiled water. You can apply cool compresses to the forehead for fever or provide the patient with heating pads for chills.
You can take medications that support the liver, because it suffers the most. But the main thing that can be done to help the patient is to ensure rest and provide plenty of fluids. The body loses a large amount of fluid, which comes out with loose stools and vomiting. You can replenish fluid by drinking a lot (often and in small sips) mineral water, herbal teas or compotes. Can be done salt solutions and alternate drinking with them.
It is recommended to follow a diet, make light dishes without spicy, starchy or sweet foods. Food poisoning passes quickly, symptoms appear in only 1-2 days, and after 3-4 the body is completely restored. But in severe cases, the victim may need to be hospitalized.
There are only a few groups of drugs that can be taken for food poisoning. These include:
You should not take antibiotics or medications aimed at combating nausea and diarrhea. You can take some medications only on the recommendation of a doctor; in other cases, it is better not to overstrain the body.
Your doctor may prescribe medications to restore the balance of electrolytes in the body. These include Regidron, which contains a complex of necessary for the body mineral salts and substances. Antibacterial drugs may be prescribed in cases severe poisoning. But only specialists can prescribe and set the dosage. You cannot self-medicate with medications: all components of the drugs are eliminated by the liver, and in case of poisoning, it already suffers.
It is necessary to take enterosorbents in case of poisoning so that the toxins are absorbed into the intestinal walls as little as possible. It will take the body longer to eliminate absorbed toxins. Sorbents are taken at home immediately after gastric lavage. The most effective sorbents are:
Coal is taken 2-3 tablets at a time. You need to drink every 15 minutes for an hour, wash it down with boiled or filtered water. Maximum dose activated carbon - 30 grams of pure substance. After reception feces They will be painted black, that's okay.
A packet of smecta dissolves in water, the solution is taken immediately after gastric lavage. Can be used to treat poisoning in young children. In rare cases, constipation occurs after consumption.
Enterosgel is available in the form of a paste and is an analogue of Smecta. One and a half tablespoons of the substance are dissolved in water and taken after gastric lavage. You need to drink the solution three times a day to enhance the effect. There have been no cases of drug overdose.
The liver has to do most of the work of removing toxins from the body. It bears a huge burden, therefore it is recommended to use hepatoprotectors during the treatment of poisoning at home. These include:
Essentiale is taken three times a day. During meals, take two capsules orally with enough liquid. This drug is not prescribed for children under 12 years of age. Use during pregnancy and lactation is possible.
Heptral not only has a hepatoprotective effect, but is also an antidepressant. During pregnancy, during lactation, also with bipolar affective disorder prescribed with caution. Not prescribed for children and adolescents under 18 years of age.
Multivitamin complexes serve as excellent support for the body during treatment of poisoning at home. Can be used by both children and adults. Such complexes contain vitamins and minerals that are necessary for normal metabolic processes. When food poisoning occurs, the body is weakened and needs support. Detoxification mechanisms can be helped by taking such support vitamins. Common complexes:
Vitrum vitamins contain a complex of vitamins necessary for daily nutrition body. Made in the USA. Another complex - Alphabet, also contains everything essential vitamins and minerals, but is produced in Russia and will cost less. The Doppelhertz series of multivitamins offers different complexes to support the body; you can choose the general one “from A to Zinc”, aimed at strengthening the body.
Any medicines And multivitamin complexes It is recommended to consult your doctor, despite the rapid incubation period pathogenic organisms. If symptoms persist for a long time when treated at home, you will need to make an appointment with a doctor or call an ambulance.
Although medications are effective, they are not always necessary to take. You can eliminate the symptoms of intoxication with folk remedies at home, although ordinary Smecta helps many. Smecta is inexpensive and is sold in every pharmacy.
It is necessary to start treatment at home only after cleansing the intestines, otherwise it will be effective folk remedies will be low.
You can cure poisoning yourself:
For complete recovery, it is necessary to take plentiful drinking regime And dietary food minimum 3 days. If symptoms of intoxication do not disappear within the next 5 days and no improvement is observed, you should immediately consult a doctor.
What to do after poisoning? When the symptoms of intoxication have already passed, it is important to restore the health of the body. First of all, it is necessary to restore the intestinal microflora, which can be done with Linex and Bifidumbacterin.
Nutrition and a properly composed diet are important. Fatty and fried foods, spicy foods, canned food, marinades, fast food, coffee, carbonated drinks and alcohol should be excluded from the menu. Preference should be given to low-fat broths, porridges and cereals, vegetables and fruits; vegetables can be stewed or baked. You are allowed to eat lean meat and fish. Restore intestinal microflora Fermented milk products will help.
It is necessary to observe the drinking regime, drink enough clean water, you can also use decoctions, jelly, fruit drinks.
The next stage of recovery is to improve the condition of the whole body; during this period it is recommended to increase immunity, consume a lot of vitamins, and perform physical exercise. Sport improves blood circulation throughout the body, including the gastrointestinal tract, which improves the quality of digestive function.
To prevent food poisoning, prevention is very important:
Be sure to maintain personal hygiene (with soap, at least a couple of minutes in a row before eating, wash your hands; especially after visiting the toilet, communicating with any animals, returning from walks, contact with any frequently used objects - computer, remote controls, etc.)
Use different cutting boards for each type of product (meat, pork, vegetables)
Wash your hands before preparing food, rinse food thoroughly using soda;
If there are scratches or wounds on your hands, use rubber gloves;
Regularly change the sponges used for washing dishes;
It is advisable to use disposable kitchen towels;
When preparing offal from meat, poultry, fish, maintain a certain temperature;
Control the temperature at which food is stored in the refrigerator and freezer (they should be stored in food containers with lids)
Any frozen food should never be re-frozen after thawing;
The expiration dates of products must be checked upon purchase and before preparing and consuming products;
Store waste and garbage in closed containers and out of children's reach.
Each of us has probably experienced food poisoning. The consequences of a person eating “something wrong” can occur in different forms. However, in any case, intoxication “turns us off” from life for a certain time various manifestations, which you want to deal with as quickly as possible. What should you do to help yourself as effectively as possible? Moreover, competent first aid for food poisoning can save the victim from many troubles that he will certainly encounter if he behaves incorrectly when identifying the first signs of intoxication.
Of course, when the poisoned person has lost consciousness, has convulsions, or vomiting and diarrhea do not stop and even become more frequent, then it is very important to hospitalize the patient as soon as possible. This is what you need to do if you are completely poisoned. small child. It is extremely dangerous to rinse your baby’s stomach at home on your own.
It is worth noting that of all types of poisoning, food intoxication is the most common. That's enough acute conditions arising from consumption, for example, of food that contains toxins of any origin.
Food intoxication is divided into three types:
Of these three types, the most common is the second option - PTI, caused by pathogenic microbes and their metabolic products, toxins. Their causative agents are quite often:
The sources of these microbes can be patients or healthy people, which are carriers of bacteria, as well as animals. Once on the product, microbes begin to actively multiply, releasing toxins that often do not change the appearance and smell of food, especially on early stages her infection.
Basically, food poisoning in adults manifests itself as follows: 
In especially severe cases the following are observed:
In this case, first aid for food poisoning should be as follows:
How quickly can food poisoning manifest itself? It all depends on the type of toxins that cause it. If eaten poisonous mushrooms, plants, then literally after 15 minutes the first signs of intoxication will make themselves felt. When we are dealing with PTI, on average, the most “interesting” begins approximately a couple of hours after eating spoiled food.
However, these figures are approximate, because a lot determines:
In any case, signs of poisoning will still manifest themselves, and the person and/or those around him must determine whether he is able to cope on his own or whether qualified medical assistance is needed. So that it doesn’t turn out that an ambulance is called, but you don’t want to go to the hospital. Then why did they bother the doctors if they were not going to get treatment? This means that the condition is not so bad that you need to go to the hospital and a home option for providing first aid for food poisoning will help.
It’s a completely different matter when a small child is poisoned. Here, parents should definitely call a doctor, but they themselves should take measures to help their baby cope with intoxication.
How to determine that your baby has acute food poisoning and you need to urgently call the hospital:
Even if your child is showing signs of mild food poisoning, it is still worth calling the doctor for advice on what the best course of action is.
What do we call mild intoxication at the baby's? 
What should you do in any case while you are waiting for a doctor or an ambulance?
After the main symptoms of poisoning in the baby have been relieved - at home or in the hospital - it is necessary to support his gastrointestinal tract with a gentle diet. If you have this question, consult your doctor, who will help you create a menu that is appropriate for your child’s age.
Treatment in this case comes down, first of all, to gastric lavage. For this purpose it can be used as plain water, so special solutions. If you don’t have it in your first aid kit, prepare a glucose-saline solution at home. For example, mix a teaspoon of salt and sugar in a glass of water. 
If vomiting does not occur on its own, you need to induce it by pressing on the root of your tongue with two fingers. After the emetic solution becomes clear, gastric lavage can be stopped.
Now you need to take care to stop the absorption of toxins through the intestinal walls. Sorbents will help with this. The most popular is activated carbon; it is drunk at the following rate: for every 10 kg of body weight, 1 tablet.
If after taking charcoal the patient feels the urge to vomit, let him wait for 20-30 minutes for the sorbent to begin its effect. Then you can vomit everything out, and when everything calms down, take the charcoal again. Usually, after the second attempt, there is no urge to vomit, and the charcoal actively collects the remaining toxins through the intestines.
After this, put the patient to bed, because poisoning provokes severe weakness. Place a towel soaked in salt water on his forehead, which will additionally “pull out” toxins and provide pleasant coolness, relieving tension.
After removing all the symptoms of poisoning, you need to drink a lot, because sorbents cause dehydration of the body.
At first it’s better to drink just pure warm water, then, if the patient does not get worse, you can switch to herbal anti-inflammatory infusions, tea with honey. On the first day, it is recommended to only drink and completely refuse food, even if you have an appetite. Such fasting will help the body quickly restore strength and return a person to shape better than any medicine and, especially, food.
It is impossible to be 100% insured against food poisoning, but there are a number of rules that, if followed, will minimize the possibility of suffering from this type of intoxication: 
If food poisoning cannot be avoided, the first thing to take care of is gastric lavage. Then proceed according to the scheme given in this article, and, hopefully, recovery will not take long.
