"Life-saving techniques" after being drunk: a comprehensive treatment and care guide for alcohol poisoning!

Experts from Yongzhou Lingling District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital said that the treatment of alcohol poisoning is mainly determined by the severity and type (acute or chronic) of the poisoning. The following are some specific treatment measures:

1. Treatment of acute alcohol poisoning

1. Mild poisoning

For patients with mild acute alcohol poisoning, special treatment is generally not required. They can be observed at home, let the patient lie still, and keep warm. Strong tea or coffee can be given to sober them up. At the same time, they should stop drinking.

2. Moderate to severe poisoning

① Induce vomiting: If the patient is conscious, you can consider inducing vomiting by pressing the tongue root with your fingers or chopsticks to stimulate the throat, induce vomiting reflex, and expel the unabsorbed alcohol in the stomach. However, it should be noted that if the patient is not conscious or has poor self-care ability, vomiting may lead to aspiration of vomitus and cause suffocation, so it should be used with caution.

② Maintain vital signs: For patients with moderate to severe poisoning, the airway should be kept open to ensure adequate oxygen supply. Artificial respiration or endotracheal intubation should be performed if necessary. At the same time, circulatory function should be maintained, blood pressure and pulse should be paid attention to, and 5% glucose saline solution should be intravenously infused to maintain water and electrolyte balance.

③Drug treatment:

Drugs that promote alcohol metabolism: such as metadoxine, can accelerate the excretion of ethanol and its metabolites acetaldehyde and ketone bodies.

Wake-up drugs: such as naloxone, can relieve the central nervous system inhibition caused by alcohol poisoning and shorten the coma time.

Sedatives: For patients who are restless or overly excited, sedatives such as diazepam can be used, but they should be used with caution to avoid suppressing breathing.

Gastric mucosal protective agents: For patients with obvious gastrointestinal symptoms, gastric mucosal protective agents such as proton pump inhibitors can be used.

④ Gastric lavage: Although alcohol is absorbed quickly, gastric lavage has limited effect and may cause gastric mucosal damage, in some cases (such as comatose patients who have not vomited within 2 hours after drinking and whose condition may worsen, or suspected of poisoning by other drugs or toxins), gastric lavage can still be considered as an option. Gastric lavage fluid is generally 1% sodium bicarbonate solution or warm water. The amount of gastric lavage fluid should not be too much, and the gastric contents can be sucked out cleanly.

⑤ Blood purification: For patients with critical conditions or whose condition worsens after conventional treatment, blood purification treatments such as hemodialysis or continuous bedside hemofiltration (CRRT) may be considered to quickly remove ethanol and ethanol metabolites from the body.

II. Treatment of chronic alcoholism

1. Quit drinking: Patients with chronic alcoholism require long-term comprehensive treatment, and the first priority is to quit drinking.

2. Drug treatment: Some drugs can be used to assist in treatment, such as vitamin B1, to improve nervous system damage caused by alcohol poisoning.

3. Psychotherapy: Through psychotherapy, patients can realize the dangers and seriousness of alcoholism, thereby reducing their dependence on alcohol and suppressing their desire to drink.

4. Nutritional support: Patients with chronic alcoholism often suffer from malnutrition and should be given a high-protein, high-calorie, high-vitamin diet to improve their physical condition.

3. General nursing measures

1. Monitor vital signs: The patient's blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and other vital signs should be closely monitored to detect and handle abnormal conditions in a timely manner.

2. Keep warm: Maintain the patient's normal body temperature to avoid complications caused by hypothermia.

3. Prevent trauma: For patients with ataxia, their activities should be strictly restricted and they should be accompanied by a dedicated person to avoid trauma.

4. Dietary conditioning: After waking up, patients can drink more water and eat fruits with high sugar and water content, such as watermelon, apples, oranges, etc., to promote urine excretion and accelerate the metabolism of alcohol in the body.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Huang Jie, Yongzhou Lingling District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital

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(Edited by Wx)