First aid for alcohol intoxication. Detoxification at home

Alcohol poisoning is a dangerous condition that affects most internal organs, brain. It can lead to permanent disability and death. This article discusses in detail first aid for alcohol poisoning at home, the main signs of using alcohol substitutes.

What are the main causes of alcohol poisoning

The main causes of alcohol poisoning are discussed below.

  • One large intake of alcoholic beverages. Intoxication develops at a blood alcohol concentration of 2.5 g/l. It is worth noting that this concentration is individual for each person. It depends on his weight, age, liver and kidney performance.
  • Taking alcohol together with medications or narcotic substances. Some drugs enhance the effect of alcohol on the body. For example, antidepressants, barbiturates, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
  • Binge drinking is a state of prolonged and continuous drinking of alcohol over several days or months. This condition occurs in alcoholism.
  • Taking alcohol substitutes (methyl, ethylene glycol). These liquids are used in industries. Unscrupulous alcohol producers sometimes dilute vodka with them. These drinks are deadly.

What are the symptoms of alcohol poisoning?

First signs alcohol poisoning appear after a few hours. Their severity depends on the quantity and quality of the drink.

Remember that with methyl poisoning, the first symptoms may appear only after 1-2 days.

Ethyl alcohol poisoning

Ethyl alcohol intoxication develops as a result of taking large doses of alcohol; the concentration of alcohol in the blood increases sharply. The development of poisoning indicates the body’s inability to neutralize alcohol molecules on its own. Alcohol poisoning affects the nervous, digestive, respiratory and endocrine systems.

We list the main symptoms of ethyl alcohol poisoning.

  • Nausea and vomiting. Vomiting is a defense mechanism. With its help, the stomach tries to get rid of excess drink.
  • Diarrhea develops due to disruption of the pancreas. It can be abundant and lead to severe dehydration.
  • Severe abdominal pain, which can be localized in the stomach or intestines. This pain is caused by inflammation of the gastric mucosa, flatulence and damage to the pancreas.
  • Nervous abnormalities. With alcohol poisoning, brain tissue does not receive enough oxygen and glucose. Due to dehydration and thickening of the blood, vasospasm develops. Symptoms of damage to brain cells by alcohol:

  1. hallucinations;
  2. cramps that spread to all muscle groups;
  3. increased agitation and aggressiveness;
  4. not a special act of defecation and urination;
  5. a disturbance of consciousness in which the victim gradually sinks into a stupor and then falls into a deep coma.
  • Shallow and rapid breathing. The patient gradually develops respiratory failure.

Methyl alcohol poisoning

The main symptom is blurred vision. A person complains of a weakening of the clarity of the picture he sees, a feeling of cloudiness before his eyes. Methyl alcohol leads to complete and irreversible blindness.

The remaining symptoms are the same as for ethanol poisoning.

Ethylene glycol poisoning

How to help the victim

First aid for alcohol poisoning should begin immediately after signs of the disease appear. First, you should call an emergency medical team at home. Describe the patient's symptoms to the dispatcher. Self-medication at home for this condition is prohibited. First aid for alcohol poisoning at home is provided by relatives before the arrival of doctors. Exactly from timely pre-medical the right help life prognosis depends.

Below is an overview of emergency care: alcohol intoxication which must be provided to the victim before emergency medical services arrive.

Gastric lavage is necessary to cleanse the stomach cavity of alcohol or toxic substances. By cleaning the stomach, you can improve the patient's condition.

Please note that gastric lavage at home is performed only on conscious people. If the patient is comatose or severely intoxicated, this procedure may result in aspiration of water into the lungs and choking on vomit.

In order to cleanse your stomach at home, you need to drink 1 liter of plain table water in one gulp and then vomit it. This procedure can be done several times. There is no need to add medications or potassium permanganate to the rinsing water.

Purgation

An enema is performed to cleanse the intestines of alcohol breakdown products and toxins. It helps reduce intoxication syndrome. An enema is a mandatory component of emergency care for alcohol intoxication.

To carry it out, use water at neutral (room) temperature. You cannot add medications or herbal solutions to it. An enema should be done until clean rinsing water is obtained.

Sorbents

Sorbents are drugs that remove toxins and poisons from the body. They accelerate the neutralization of alcohol and reduce intoxication syndrome.

Carefully read the rules for selecting the dosage of the sorbent. It may depend on the weight or age of the patient. Sorbents should be taken with plenty of liquid. Water enhances their ability to bind toxins.

Preparations:

Drink plenty of fluids

The patient must be given water to drink. This should be done after washing the stomach and intestines. It is better to drink a little bit, in small sips. Drinking will reduce your level of dehydration and make you feel better.

What to do if a patient loses consciousness

In case of severe alcohol poisoning, the victim may be unconscious or in a coma. You should check his breathing, heartbeat and place him on a hard, flat surface on his side. If you can't turn him on his side, at least turn his head. This is necessary to prevent tongue retraction and choking on vomit.

The pulse is checked in the carotid artery. Breathing can be checked by placing your hand on the person's chest, feeling it move as you inhale and exhale. If breathing and heartbeat stop, indirect cardiac massage should be started.

Subsequent treatment

Having arrived at the call, doctors begin providing first aid for alcohol poisoning. First of all, they conduct a quick assessment of the patient’s condition. Close people need to tell in detail the symptoms, describe the help that they managed to provide on their own, name the approximate time the patient consumed alcohol and its amount.

What does first aid consist of:

  • cleaning the stomach through a tube is carried out for people in an unconscious state;
  • connecting an IV with medications to relieve alcohol intoxication;
  • connecting the patient to oxygen through a mask;
  • normalization of cardiac activity with the help of medications.

Doctors then hospitalize the patient in the toxicology or intensive care unit. At the hospital, his blood is taken to test for alcohol and toxins. The duration of hospitalization depends on the patient's condition.

Treatment in a hospital may consist of:

  • hemodialysis (blood purification). The patient is connected to a special “artificial kidney” device, which purifies all the blood. Hemodialysis is performed to quickly remove toxins from the body. It is done for all poisonings with surrogate alcohol;
  • administration of an antidote. For methyl poisoning, the antidote used is ethanol. It is administered to the patient intravenously in low concentrations throughout the day. Only through the introduction of an antidote can total blindness be avoided;
  • intravenous drip administration of solutions to eliminate intoxication (trisol, disol, reopolyglucin, reosorbilact, glucose).

Alcohol poisoning is a particularly dangerous intoxication. It often causes disability, permanent disability, blindness, and death. Treatment of alcohol intoxication is carried out in the toxicology or intensive care department. When the first symptoms of the disease appear, you should call an emergency medical team. Before the doctors arrive, you can try to rinse the patient’s stomach and intestines, give him sorbents and drink.

Alcohol for human body is a poison that can have harmful, painful and in some cases even fatal effects. The term “alcohol intoxication” is appropriate when the ppm of alcohol in the blood significantly exceeds 0.4.

Symptoms of alcohol intoxication

If the amount of alcohol in the blood fluctuates around 1.5 ppm, then this condition is called the initial stage of alcohol intoxication. This stage is fraught with painful. When the ppm level reaches 2-3, the average stage of alcohol intoxication begins, and all values ​​above the indicated figures indicate a severe stage of the condition in question.

Naturally, it is impossible to accurately determine ppm at home, so the presence/absence of certain symptoms is used to differentiate the stages of alcohol intoxication. The following signs will be characteristic of the first and second (mild and moderate) stages of alcohol intoxication:

The above symptoms correspond to the first and second stages of alcohol intoxication; damage to the body will be caused, but it is still fixable. The second stage of the condition under consideration can end with alcohol anesthesia or go into the third (severe) stage, which has some characteristic features. The third stage of alcohol intoxication will be characterized by:

  • complete loss of control over your body - it’s quite difficult to walk or just sit;
  • cold and clammy skin;
  • lack of intelligible speech.

Important! The onset of the third stage of alcohol intoxication is fraught with serious consequences, including alcoholic coma and death. The first two stages of the phenomenon under consideration can be completely compensated for at home, but if a person develops symptoms of severe intoxication, then an ambulance needs to be called. Before the doctor arrives, the sick person needs to be wrapped in a blanket, and if he is conscious, then vomited.

How to relieve alcohol intoxication

It is worth knowing that there are a number of measures that will prevent alcohol intoxication. If you are planning a feast, then in order to avoid the development of the condition in question, you need to prepare the body:

  • immediately before the feast, take several tablets of activated carbon (3-5) and continue to take them as you consume alcoholic beverages (for example, every hour and a half, 2-3 tablets);
  • eat a plate before the holiday starts thick porridge from any cereal;
  • Before drinking alcohol, drink a glass of whole milk.

These methods will not save the body from the negative effects of alcohol, but will minimize the consequences.

To reduce the consequences of alcohol intoxication of the first and second stages, doctors recommend drinking a lot of water, but you should not get carried away with brine - it contains acid, which creates only short-term compounds with ethanol, which automatically complicates the removal of toxins from the body. Great way quickly restore health after drinking alcohol - drink, which not only neutralizes the effect of acetaldehydes, but also has an analgesic effect.

Please note:Vomiting due to alcohol intoxication is great! In no case should you restrain the urge to vomit, since it is in this way that the stomach is freed from excess alcohol, which will invariably lead to relief from alcohol intoxication.

At the first and second stages the best method To combat alcohol intoxication there will be vomiting and subsequent sleep. But if in the second stage of the condition under consideration a person has fallen into alcohol anesthesia, then under no circumstances should one induce vomiting! It is necessary to constantly remain near a sick person to prevent vomit from entering the respiratory tract with involuntary vomiting.

If alcohol intoxication occurs in a mild or moderate stage, then you can force it yourself natural processes removing alcohol from the body:

  1. Take a moderate contrast shower - the water should be cool, but not icy. The procedure is carried out within 5-10 minutes, but if your condition does not allow you to take such a shower, then you need to at least rub your body with a damp towel.
  2. Take painkillers to relieve headaches, but they contain there should be no paracetamol.
  3. No later than 2 hours after the onset of symptoms of alcohol intoxication, take Filtrum or Polysorb - enterosorbents will reduce negative influence alcohol on the body will contribute to the rapid removal of toxins from the gastrointestinal tract.
  4. After getting rid of the acute symptoms of alcohol intoxication, it will be useful to consume chicken or beef broth.
  5. To fall asleep peacefully, you can take motherwort in tablets.

Treatment of alcohol intoxication

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Treatment will be required in severe cases of alcohol intoxication and, first of all, it will be necessary to prevent further absorption of alcohol into the blood. For this purpose, a person with severe alcohol intoxication is given 10 tablets to drink, and then the stomach is washed. This procedure can be carried out by introducing into the patient’s stomach large quantity warm water, after which a gag reflex is induced by mechanical irritation of the root of the tongue. At the same time, doctors take measures aimed at preventing the development of collapse, for which cordiamine or caffeine is administered intramuscularly.

Most effective means Treatment of severe alcohol intoxication is a method of rapid sobering up. First, the patient is injected intramuscularly with vitamin B6 and literally after 5-10 minutes he begins to think much better, and a certain enlightenment of the mind occurs. At this moment the patient is given a drink “cocktail” of corazol, phenamine and nicotinic acid, diluted in 100 ml of warm water. After 10-20 minutes, the patient’s condition returns to normal, thinking is actively clarified, behavior is within the normal range, and emotional inhibition disappears.

Please note: Phenamine is not sold in pharmacies, so it is impossible to make such a cocktail at home. This method of quick sobering is used only in medical institutions.

To reduce blood alcohol concentration, doctors use:

  • 1 ml of 1% nicotinic acid solution;
  • 20 ml of 40% glucose solution;
  • 10 ml of 5% ascorbic acid solution.

Droppers for alcohol intoxication

If a person is diagnosed with a severe stage of alcohol intoxication, then his body may suffer irreparable harm. In this case, doctors must prescribe the patient IVs with a complex of drugs that can prevent the development of severe pathological processes against the background of alcohol poisoning.

In addition to ethyl alcohol (ethanol, alcohol), there are also alcohol-containing drinks (vodka, wine, cognac, whiskey, liqueurs, rum) and its surrogates - inferior substitutes for ethanol. They are also sometimes used as alcoholic drinks. There are true and false surrogates for ethyl alcohol. These include: hydrolytic, i.e. obtained by hydrolysis from wood, and technical (denatured) alcohols; colognes, lotions, polish, stain, etc..

Absorption of ethyl alcohol is carried out by passive diffusion in all parts of the digestive tract, especially intensively in the stomach, duodenum and small intestines. The speed of this process depends on the concentration of alcohol in the solution or alcoholic drink and their quantity: with their increase, the rate of resorption increases. The absorption of alcohol is also affected by the amount and nature of the contents of the stomach and intestines, their motor activity, and the degree of vascularization of the mucous membrane.

Eating food in the stomach complicates the diffusion of alcohol in the intestines, therefore its transition to the intestines slows down. In patients who have undergone gastrectomy, the blood alcohol content after ingestion increases faster than in healthy individuals. It also grows very quickly in patients with gastritis, peptic ulcer etc..

Regardless of the route of introduction into the body, ethyl alcohol easily penetrates the internal organs and is distributed in proportion to the water content. When taken orally, the maximum concentration in the blood is established after 40-50 minutes, after which it gradually decreases. The alcohol content in the liver, kidneys, lungs and testes is higher than in other organs.

When consuming moderate amounts of alcohol, the rate of its metabolism corresponds to zero-order kinetics, i.e. does not depend on time and its concentration. An adult is able to metabolize about 7-10 g (0.15-0.22 mol) of ethyl alcohol per hour. About 90-95% of alcohol in the body (mainly in the liver) undergoes biotransformation, the rest is excreted unchanged in exhaled air, urine, sweat, and milk.

Ethanol metabolism is carried out by alcohol dehydrogenase, microsomal ethanol oxidation system and catalase. During the hydroxylation of alcohol by these enzymes, toxic acetaldehyde is formed, which, under the influence of aldehyde dehydrogenase, is hydroxylated into non-toxic acetate.

This nature of ethanol toxicokinetics determines the duration of its toxicogenic stage up to 8-15 hours.

Clinical picture of alcohol poisoning

Ethyl alcohol or alcohol in the form of a drink in toxic quantities initially causes intoxication, which can result in loss of consciousness and coma. Alcohol intoxication manifests itself with signs of euphoria: such persons often sing, dance, gesticulate, speak loudly, joke inappropriately, and try to demonstrate their strength, dexterity, and wit. They are restless and want to run somewhere. They behave incorrectly, make indecent remarks to others, direct the conversation to an erotic topic, are tactless, intrusive. Their self-criticism is clearly reduced, their self-esteem is overestimated.

There is a lack of coordination of movements, a shaky gait, reduced muscle strength, pain and temperature sensitivity as well. There may be manifestations of aggressiveness, which can range from deep suppression. Characteristic salivation, sweating, tachycardia, shortness of breath, etc.

Superficial alcoholic coma is characterized by the cessation of speech contact while maintaining a defensive reaction to painful stimuli; The tone of skeletal muscles decreases, which, however, can periodically increase. Then trismus of the masticatory muscles appears, myofibrillation on the face, neck and chest, and convulsions are possible. Salivation continues, sweating increases, hiccups and vomiting appear. Existing floating movements of the eyeballs. The skin is pale with a cyanotic tint, cold, wet, and sticky to the touch.

Involuntary urination and bowel movements often occur.

The presence of a deep coma is much more dangerous. Victims develop acrocyanosis, cyanosis of the mucous membranes, muscle atony, significant injection of the sclera, central standing of the eyeballs, myasthenia gravis, and sometimes transient anisocoria may develop. Pain sensitivity, corneal, swallowing and cough reflexes disappear; signs of damage appear cardiovascular system(tachycardia, hypotension, even collapse) and pathological breathing. Metabolic acidosis and hyperglycemia are determined in the laboratory.

In addition, alcoholic coma can be complicated by acute respiratory failure of the aspiration-obstruction type, apnea of ​​central origin, acute cardiovascular failure due to sharp inhibition of the vasomotor center, etc.

Deeper and more protracted disorders in the body develop during acute poisoning with alcohol substitutes, which contain more toxic substances. In severe poisoning, coma occurs early with severe respiratory and hemodynamic disorders. At the same time, oxidation processes in the body are more suppressed.

Emergency care for acute alcohol intoxication

Urgent Care includes, first of all, the correction of life-threatening respiratory and circulatory disorders, the elimination of seizures, if they have developed, with sodium hydroxybutyrate, unithiol and piracetam. In addition, you must:

  • a) rinse the stomach, introduce magnesium sulfate into it, and in case of poisoning with surrogates, activated carbon or other enterosorbents;
  • b) administer intravenously 400-500 ml of 4% sodium bicarbonate solution;
  • c) with the help of plasma substitutes and a vasostimulator, it is advisable to also administer 30 mg of prednisolone hemisuccinate intravenously or intramuscularly to raise the level of blood pressure;
  • d) inject intravenously 10 ml of 5% Unithiol solution, 30-40 ml of 30% sodium thiosulfate solution, 40 ml of 40% glucose solution, 4-6 ml of 5% vitamin B1 solution, 4 ml of 5% vitamin B6 solution, and subcutaneously 1 ml of 5% nicotinic acid solution.

After emergency assistance is provided, the victims are subject to hospitalization, and poisoned by alcohol substitutes - to the toxicology department.

The cause of alcohol poisoning is an excessive amount of drink consumed or the use of a surrogate with substances that are not suitable for internal use. Mild intoxication can be treated at home without the involvement of doctors. A severe form threatens kidney and liver failure, pulmonary edema, alcoholic coma, respiratory arrest - delay will lead to death, so urgent hospitalization of the patient is necessary.

Symptoms of alcohol poisoning

Alcohol can be edible or technical. The first one is used to create strong drinks– wine, vodka, gin, beer, etc. In moderate doses it causes intoxication, but if not consumed regularly it is relatively safe. Poisoning occurs when the norm is exceeded, depending on the person’s age, gender, weight, and general well-being.

The industrial product is toxic and is prohibited for ingestion in any quantity. But unscrupulous manufacturers use methanol and ethylene glycol, since it is cheaper than ethyl alcohol. Alcoholics use alcohol-containing cosmetics and technical preparations, to which they have free access. The most severe cases of intoxication are associated with children who, out of curiosity, try poisonous substances that were carelessly left behind by their parents.

Food and industrial alcohol poisoning have similar clinical picture. But in the latter case, the symptoms will be more severe, and disruption of the internal organs will occur faster. This is due to the fact that the oxidation of surrogates occurs 5 times slower; the body cannot quickly and safely process the product. The result is intoxication:

  • Mild poisoning. The symptoms are similar to pronounced intoxication. The most characteristic signs are nausea and vomiting. The person remains conscious.
  • Intoxication medium degree. Symptoms of selective psychotropic, neurotoxic, nephrotoxic, and metabolic disorders occur.
  • Severe poisoning. It is characterized by the development of hepatic-renal failure, damage to the central nervous system with cerebral edema and metabolic acidosis.

Alcohol poisoning can only occur through absorption into the blood (this is how the product spreads throughout the body). But it is worse if intoxication is accompanied by a burn of the mucous membranes of the esophagus and stomach (occurs with an increased concentration of alkali and acid in the product taken). This accelerates the penetration of toxic substances into the blood, disrupts the integrity of internal organs, leads to internal bleeding, and tissue death.

Ethyl alcohol poisoning

Ethanol (ethyl or wine spirit, methylcarbinol) – active ingredient all alcoholic drinks. IN pure form Ingestion is prohibited (in vodka and gin - no more than 45% C2H6O). The lethal blood alcohol concentration for an adult male is 5–8 g/l. A single dose leading to severe intoxication is 12 g/kg (this is approximately 300 ml of 90% ethanol), but in persons with chronic alcoholism the tolerance to the substance is slightly higher. For children, a dose of 10–15 ml of 90% alcohol is fatal in most cases.

In case of first degree poisoning, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting are noted. In the second degree, signs of the neurotoxic effect of alcohol appear (the person sees poorly, “flies” fly before the eyes, hears ringing in the ears, does not feel touches). Severe forms of intoxication are associated with depression of the central nervous system. There is a high risk of deep alcoholic coma - sensitivity is completely lost, falls blood pressure, the heart rate slows down, the temperature becomes critically low, and breathing is suppressed.

Methyl alcohol poisoning

Methanol (also known as methyl or wood alcohol) is a colorless liquid with a strong odor. It is used as a solvent in the paint and varnish industry, and is added to fuel for refueling racing motorcycles and cars. Causes mild intoxication when consumed 6 ml, moderate - 8-20 ml. The lethal dosage for an adult healthy man is 20–60 ml.

When consuming small doses (less than 5 ml), headaches, general weakness, chills, nausea, and vomiting occur. When drinking more the mucous membranes become purple, the tongue swells, convulsions begin, uncontrollable bowel movements and urination begin, and the pulse quickens. If we manage to pump out a person after severe poisoning, with a high probability he will remain blind.

Ethylene glycol poisoning

Glycol (also known as ethylene glycol) is a clear, oily liquid with a pungent odor. It is used as a component of automotive antifreeze, brake fluids, and cooling systems for technical devices. IN food industry does not apply.

According to the degree of impact on humans, it belongs to substances of the 3rd hazard class. The lethal amount of this type of alcohol for one-time consumption by an adult is 150–300 ml; for a teenager – 50–100 ml; even a dose of 10 ml can kill a child.

The peculiarity of ethylene glycol is that the symptoms of poisoning do not occur immediately, which encourages a person to drink even more surrogate in pursuit of the feeling of intoxication. On average, alcohol makes you sick within 2–4 hours. Vomiting, abdominal pain, tremors of the limbs, convulsions occur, the heartbeat accelerates, and the temperature rises. In severe cases, toxic shock and alcoholic coma occur.

How to provide first aid

The treatment process includes three main actions: removal of alcohol residues that have not had time to be absorbed into the blood, absorption of toxins, and symptomatic assistance. If we are talking about mild poisoning, the person is conscious and the symptoms of intoxication do not increase, you can do without doctors. Scheme of mandatory emergency actions:

  • Perform gastric lavage (give plenty of fluids, induce vomiting). It is impossible to remove vomit during convulsions (blockage of the trachea will lead to asphyxia).
  • Give activated carbon in powder form. 750 mg of sorbent is enough (if you vomit, repeat the dose). After 5 hours, take another 250 mg.
  • Drink products that will help remove toxins from the urine and feces (Furosemide, Lasix, Diusemide, Bisacodyl, Regulax).

Symptomatic medical care involves supporting the body until the concentration of the poison decreases to safe levels and the functioning of the internal organs is restored. Drugs are selected depending on how the poisoning manifests itself. For example, Cerucal is suitable for nausea and vomiting, and Aspirin is suitable for toxic hyperthermia. Thiamine, ATP, and ascorbic acid help to recover faster.

Attention: self-medication for signs of moderate and severe poisoning is strictly prohibited. If the body temperature rises above 37.5 degrees, convulsions occur, a person loses consciousness, blood pressure rises or falls sharply - this is a reason to immediately call an ambulance.

Possible consequences

In case of poisoning with increased doses or low-quality surrogate, only timely assistance will save life. If measures are not taken, death from internal bleeding, respiratory arrest, or cerebral edema is possible. Even if it is possible to pump a person out, he will have to face the serious consequences of exposure to alcohol. Complications such as impaired brain function due to hypoxia, chronic hypotension, renal and liver failure, visual impairment or complete blindness are common.

Maintenance therapy after treatment acute poisoning reduces the likelihood of disability, but does not completely eliminate it. Therefore, you should not take risks - you need to drink within your norm and only proven quality drinks. If there is a suspicion of a surrogate, its use should be completely abandoned.

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Alcohol– flavored alcoholic drinks based on purified ethyl alcohol (wine, cognac, water, champagne, whiskey, liqueurs, etc.). Alcohol substitutes– inferior ethanol substitutes, which are used as alcoholic beverages, can be true (hydrolytic and technical alcohols, cologne, etc.) and false (methanol, ethylene glycol).

Poisoning with alcohol and its surrogates is the most common household poisoning, lethal dose 96° ethanol ranges from 4 to 12 g/kg body weight, alcoholic coma occurs when the blood alcohol concentration is 3 g/l and above, death - at 5 – 6 g/l and above.

Ethanol Poisoning Clinic:

– intoxication of varying degrees, turning into depression of consciousness up to coma

– initially characterized by euphoria, emotional lability, violations of social norms of decency in behavior, aggressiveness, followed by deep deafness and indifference

– motor impairments: from an unsteady gait to the inability to independently stand upright

– characteristic odor of alcohol emanating from the patient

– hyperemia of cold, moist facial skin, scleral injection, constricted pupils, horizontal nystagmus

– hypersalivation, sweating, vomiting with possible aspiration-obstructive breathing disorders or mechanical asphyxia (during aspiration of vomit or retraction of the tongue)

– involuntary urination and defecation

– frequent, weak pulse, collapsed state

– high level of ethanol in the blood (the diagnosis of alcohol intoxication is valid when the blood alcohol concentration is above 0.5 ppm)

Alcoholic coma should be differentiated from head injury, poisoning with alcohol substitutes or sleeping pills, tranquilizers, and from diabetic coma; since these conditions can be combined, it is necessary to examine the patient’s blood for the content of glucose, barbiturates and other sedative drugs, and take an x-ray of the skull in two projections.

Emergency care for alcohol poisoning:

1. All patients with severe intoxication and poisoning with alcohol or its substitutes must be hospitalized (transported in a lateral position with the head of the head lowered to prevent aspiration)

2. Gastric lavage through a tube to clean lavage water (in case of deep coma - only after tracheal intubation), followed by the introduction of enterosorbents (activated carbon, polyphepane, etc.) and saline laxatives in the form of an aqueous suspension through a tube or orally

3. Forced diuresis: IV infusion of crystalloid solutions (isotonic sodium chloride solution, 5% glucose) + furosemide / Lasix 40 mg IV

4. Oral toilet, taking the tongue onto a tongue holder, suctioning mucus from the pharyngeal cavity, in the absence of pharyngeal reflexes, breathing disorders of central origin - intubation and transfer to mechanical ventilation.

5. Infusion of 40% glucose solution 40 ml with 15 units of insulin IV bolus

6. Vitamins B1 5 ml IM and B6 2 ml IM (antidotes for ethanol), nicotinic acid 5% solution 1 ml s.c.

7. Alkalinization of urine, correction of metabolic acidosis of the blood: 4% sodium bicarbonate solution up to 1000 ml IV drip

8. Symptomatic therapy depending on the complications that arise (relief of seizures with sodium hydroxybutyrate, piracetam, etc.)

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