Help With Food Poisoning

Karen Lennox Author: Karen Lennox Time for reading: ~7 minutes Last Updated: December 09, 2022
Help With Food Poisoning

Since the symptoms of food poisoning usually appear quickly and acutely, help should be provided as soon as possible. Not only the health, but also the life of the victim often depends on this. In case of food poisoning, vomiting and diarrhea cannot be stopped - in this way the body gets rid of toxins, it is necessary to give the patient plenty of water to drink and take an adsorbent -

Basics of food poisoning assistance

Help with food poisoning should be provided as soon as possible. Not only the health of the victim, but also his life depends on speed and timely and correct actions. Food poisoning most often occurs in an acute form, the symptoms develop quickly and depend on the type of poisoning:

  • Food toxic infections — poisoning by food products containing microbes.
  • Intoxication by chemical substances.
  • Poisoning by animal or plant poisons.

Providing assistance for food poisoning is based on four rules:

 
  • Cleansing (gastric lavage or intravenous therapy).
  • Adsorption and removal of toxins.
  • A large amount of drinking.
  • Strict diet.

Independent actions to clean the stomach and neutralize poisoning are unacceptable in specific cases - calling an ambulance is necessary for the following categories of victims:

  • Elderly persons (over 60 years old).
  • Children aged from birth to 15 years.
  • People with chronic diseases (gastrointestinal tract, cardiology, diabetes, nephropathy, neuralgic pathologies, asthma, etc.).
  • Food poisoning by poisonous plants or mushrooms.
  • In cases where the victim shows symptoms of paralysis, loss of consciousness.

If intoxication is determined to be mild, the patient has no life-threatening symptoms (continuous vomiting, diarrhea with blood, drop in blood pressure, convulsions), the following can be done:

  • The victim needs to drink as much clean water as possible (boiled, purified, mineral water without gas). Soda solutions, decoctions of chamomile and other "folk" remedies are inappropriate and can even be harmful at the first stage of cleaning. The causative agent and toxin that caused the poisoning are unknown, as are the reactions occurring inside the body. If the patient does not have a gag reflex, it can be activated by pressing on the root of the tongue (it is better to do this with a clean spoon, not with a finger).
 
  • Drinking water will not only help to clean the digestive tract, but also compensate for the loss of fluid that is removed from the body along with vomiting and diarrhea. Providing assistance in case of poisoning - neutralization of dehydration. The victim should drink at least 2 liters of water per day. It is better if it is a rehydration drug bought in a pharmacy. At home, you can prepare a drink as follows: add a teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar to 1 liter of purified water.
  • The patient is given a toxin-absorbing drug, for example, activated charcoal.

If the symptoms of poisoning do not subside after 4-6 hours, you should call a doctor, self-medication can worsen the condition of the victim.

Medical assistance for food poisoning

This is a clear implementation of already familiar measures. The action algorithm is as follows:

  • Emergency removal of toxins from the digestive tract. This can be done by washing the stomach - taking a large amount of liquid and activating the vomiting reflex. Please note that with the help of vomiting, the body cleans the stomach, and diarrhea cleans the intestines, so it should not be stopped, at least in the first 2-3 hours after poisoning.
  • Stopping the spread of toxins. This can be done by taking sorbents — activated carbon, etc.
 
  • Reduction of body dehydration. This can be done with a large amount of liquid. You can drink ordinary purified or boiled water, as well as mineral water without gas, or turn to the help of special pharmaceutical preparations.
  • Providing "rest" to the digestive organs. Pre-medical care for food poisoning is starvation during the first day and food restriction (diet) during the next 5-7 days. Food should be boiled, chopped (rice broth, sour, light pureed soups).
  • Restoration of the function of the gastrointestinal tract. This is done with the help of a two-week intake of special enzyme preparations and probiotics.

Contrary to popular opinion, cleansing enemas, taking antibacterial or astringent drugs can worsen the patient's condition and worsen the clinical picture of food poisoning . All appointments of this kind must be made by a doctor. Also, you should not make independent decisions and actions in case of dangerous symptoms, the only thing that needs to be done as soon as possible is to call an ambulance.

Emergency aid for food poisoning

This is pathogenetic therapy, which is carried out only by specialists with medical education. Such help is necessary in acute forms of intoxication, as well as in cases where we are talking about small children, the elderly or those suffering from chronic diseases (diabetes, bronchial asthma, cardiopathies, neuralgic diseases). The first thing an emergency physician does is to assess the patient's condition and make a primary differential diagnosis of the type of poisoning. The issue of urgent hospitalization is decided depending on the severity of intoxication and the threat to the victim's life.

In hospital conditions, the diagnosis is clarified with the help of a complex of laboratory tests. Further, the actions are almost identical to those carried out at home, but professional emergency care for food poisoning involves the use of specific detoxification measures, intravenous administration of saline solutions and symptomatic treatment.

The methods of removing toxins can be various — from washing the stomach with a probe and using an enema to diuresis and hemodialysis. In addition to detoxification measures, in parallel, the patient is prescribed intravenous infusions to restore the water-electrolyte balance, antibacterial therapy. Further, the actions of doctors are aimed at correcting the condition of the victim and eliminating all possible consequences of poisoning.

 

Helping a child with food poisoning

Help to the child is most often provided in a medical institution in inpatient conditions. There are often cases when parents try to help a sick child on their own, losing precious time. In children, food poisoning occurs in an acute form, so the call for emergency medical assistance is most often unavoidable. The following signs of poisoning are particularly alarming :

  • An increase in body temperature up to 38 degrees. A temperature that lasts longer than 2 hours.
  • Colic and pains in the stomach of a growing nature. The pain does not go away after vomiting or diarrhea.
  • Continuous vomiting, diarrhea - the danger of sudden dehydration.
  • Absence of urination for more than 4-5 hours.
  • Dry mouth, increased salivation, difficulty swallowing and breathing.
  • Bluishness of the skin, loss of consciousness.

You can try to provide help to a child with food poisoning in a mild form at home. Mild intoxications include cases accompanied by stool disorder (no more than 3-5 times a day), a slight increase in temperature, and periodic vomiting.

The actions of parents should be as follows. Even in the case of mild poisoning, it is worth calling a doctor or an ambulance to inform about the poisoning and receive competent recommendations and advice on providing assistance to the child.

Before the doctor's visit or the arrival of an ambulance, the child needs to wash his stomach. Vomiting should not scare parents - this is how the body tries to remove toxins on its own. In order to speed up this process, you need to let the child drink clean water at room temperature. The volume of liquid (which can be given to a child at one time) depends on age and is calculated according to the following scheme:

  • From birth to 1 month — 10-15 ml.
  • From 1 to 2 months — 35-70 ml.
  • From 2 to 4 months — 70-90 ml.
  • From 4 months to six months — 90-110 ml.
  • From half a year to 8 months — 110-120 ml.
  • From 8 months to a year — 120-140 ml.
  • From 1 year to 3 years — 150-200 ml.
  • From 3 to 5 years — 200-250 ml.
  • From 5 to 7 years — 250-300 ml.
  • From 7 to 11 years old — 300-450 ml.
  • From 11 to 14 years old — 450-500 ml.

The vomiting reflex can be activated by gently pressing the root of the tongue with a teaspoon or a clean finger. Actions should be repeated until the vomited mass is cleared of food residues.

  • After vomiting, it is necessary to lay the child every time so that his head is turned to the side.
  • After the vomiting reflex subsides, it is necessary to give the child to drink as often as possible to prevent dehydration.
  • Activated carbon (1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight) or other special preparations can be given to the child to adsorb toxins.
  • If the symptoms of poisoning subside within a day, a gentle diet is contraindicated for the child from the next day. It is advisable to discuss the menu and set of products with the doctor, who must be called in any case.

Food poisoning in a mild form with correct and timely actions does not require urgent hospitalization and can be treated at home.

 

What not to do with food poisoning
  • It is impossible to induce a vomiting reflex in an unconscious patient, pregnant women and children under 2 years of age. Also, vomiting is contraindicated in convulsions or cardiac diseases.
  • Do not place a heating pad on the abdomen.
  • You cannot stop diarrhea with drugs or decoctions.
  • Vomiting can worsen a serious condition in case of acid, oil, alkali poisoning.
  • Do not self-administer an enema, especially to young children, the elderly, and pregnant women.
  • It is not possible to give milk, carbonated water as a drink.
  • It is impossible to show self-activity — to give an alkaline drink in case of acid poisoning and vice versa.

Timely help with food poisoning mostly helps to avoid hospitalization, besides, sometimes it saves not only the health, but also the life of the victim.

 

About | Privacy | Marketing | Cookies | Contact us

All rights reserved © ThisNutrition 2018-2024

Medical Disclaimer: All content on this Web site, including medical opinion and any other health-related information, is for informational purposes only and should not be considered to be a specific diagnosis or treatment plan for any individual situation. Use of this site and the information contained herein does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.

Affiliate Disclosure: Please note that each post may contain affiliate and/or referral links, in which I receive a very small commission for referring readers to these companies.