In: Nursing
What will be your responsibility when someone swallows
poison?
Accidental poison intake is common in children if witnessed inform poison emergence care in your area and follow the instructions.
If the victim has collapsed or do not respond call for an ambulance without delay and start CPR immediately
If the patient is conscious and oriented, ask the victim to wash mouth and remove any remaining poison materials from the mouth, provide recovery position and do not induce vomiting
If the patient ingested alkaline or acidic material and causing the burning sensation and abdominal pain, allow the patient to drink plenty of water or milk to neutralize the material.
Keep the product or medicine container with the caregiver when shifting the patient to the hospital, it will help to give correct antidote against the particular poison.
After reaching the emergency department of the hospital the physician usually orders for a gastric lavage. Before initiating the gastric lavage, the airway should be protected, check the pH of the stomach content. The stomach content will be flushed out with small amounts of fluids through an Ewaid Tube or Ryle's tube. The procedure will repeat until the clear returns of fluids comes.
The gastric lavage is contraindicated when compromised and unprotected airway, potential risk for gastric perforation and gastric hemorrhage.