If you drink antifreeze by mistake, can liquor become a "life-saving medicine"?

Review expert: Peng Guoqiu, deputy chief physician of the Fourth Medical Center of the General Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

I believe that many car owners are familiar with automobile antifreeze, especially in the northern regions where winter is cold. However, automobile antifreeze often makes the news because of its harmful effects on health.

According to a report by Qilu Evening News on February 19: On the first day of the Lunar New Year this year, Anhui Fuyang People's Hospital urgently admitted a 17-year-old girl. The girl was already in a coma when she was admitted to the hospital, suffering from multiple organ failure. According to her family, the girl accidentally drank car antifreeze.

Source | Qilu Evening News

There is only one antidote for antifreeze, called methazole , which is in very low demand and not available in China. At this time, an experienced doctor prescribed a "drug" that no one expected. After 5 days of rescue, the girl was finally out of danger.

What drug has such an immediate effect? ​​It is liquor.

What is the poisoning mechanism of automotive antifreeze?

As the "drink" of cars, we humans are naturally "unlucky" to enjoy it. So, how does car antifreeze cause poisoning to people who drink it by mistake?

The main components of automobile antifreeze are ethylene glycol, sodium bicarbonate and sodium borate, and poisoning is mainly caused by ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol mainly acts on the kidneys and central nervous system, generating acetaldehyde and glyoxylic acid, causing kidney disease. After accidental ingestion, patients will develop symptoms within tens of minutes to hours, mainly manifested by a sharp drop in blood calcium, acidosis and electrolyte abnormalities, which will cause neuromuscular symptoms and uremia caused by renal failure as clinical characteristics.

Source | Yiche

Because car antifreeze is colorless, odorless and sweet, it can easily be mistaken for a beverage . But who would have thought that this sweet taste would become the "fuse" of poisoning.

Why can white wine detoxify?

It is said that drinking alcohol is harmful to the body, so why has liquor become a "panacea" at this time?

The main component of liquor is ethanol. Ethanol and methylpyrazole are the early "antidotes" against ethylene glycol, which can prevent the formation of toxic metabolites.

Source | 36Kr

Ethanol will "fight" methanol and ethylene glycol in the body, so it can "detoxify" to a certain extent. In this case, the girl was fed 5 kilograms of high-concentration liquor through nasogastric tubes during treatment, and blood purification and other measures were continuously taken, which successfully saved the girl. However, this does not mean that liquor is harmless to the body. It is better to say "NO" to the glass of wine and drink more water.

How can we help others when they encounter car antifreeze poisoning?

As cars become more and more popular, car antifreeze is often easily ingested by people, resulting in an increasing number of car antifreeze poisoning patients, which seriously endangers people's health. When we encounter someone around us who accidentally drinks car antifreeze, what can we do?

① Help the person who accidentally drank the liquid to induce vomiting by drinking plenty of water, and call the emergency number and go to the hospital for gastric lavage.

② Use the knowledge learned to assist medical staff in communicating with those who drink alcohol by mistake , and help eliminate the patients’ negative emotions.

③ After being discharged from the hospital, the person who accidentally ingested the antifreeze should eat less spicy food in his daily diet and mark the car antifreeze with labels to avoid accidental ingestion again.

Trouble comes from the mouth, and disease comes from the mouth. The improvement of economic level has made cars more accessible to ordinary people, but people must not drink the "drinks" in cars. Proper labeling and prevention of car antifreeze are the best ways to avoid "passive drinking".