First aid for food poisoning

As a rule, poisoning occurs when using low-quality or expired food products that cause intoxication of the body. First aid for food poisoning, which can be provided by the patient’s relatives, will help get rid of the pathogenic condition.

Providing first aid to victims of acute food poisoning

First aid for food poisoning becomes necessary immediately after the onset of its symptoms. The main symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, weakness, malaise, blanching of the skin, diarrhea, chills, fever.

When providing first aid for food poisoning, the sequence of actions should be as follows:

• Gastric lavage. To normalize the condition of a person who has been poisoned by food, the remnants of toxic food should be completely removed from the digestive tract. To carry out the procedure, it is necessary to prepare a weak solution of potassium permanganate, drink a little of this liquid, induce vomiting, do this several times. To cleanse the intestines, you can do an enema, so harmful substances will be removed from the body faster.
• Reception of sorbents. First aid for acute food poisoning also comes down to taking sorbents that will help remove toxic substances from the body. The most accessible, common and cheapest of these drugs is activated charcoal. The intake of activated charcoal reduces the absorption into the gastrointestinal tract of toxins found in foods. The following dosage should be followed: one tablet of coal per 10 kg of body weight. Instead of the usual black, white charcoal can also be used. Other sorbents used for food poisoning are drugs such as Smekta, Laktofiltrum, Enterosgel.
• Providing the body with plenty of fluids. Washing the gastrointestinal tract can lead to dehydration of the body, so first aid for victims of food poisoning should also include providing the victim with plenty of fluids. It is necessary to drink at least 2-3 liters of boiled water per day. Experts say that you need to add a little salt to the water – you need to take one teaspoon of salt per liter of liquid. You can alternate this saline solution with sweet weak tea. Special pharmaceutical products are also used to restore the body’s water balance – Regidron or Oralit, they contain glucose and mineral salts that prevent dehydration.

First aid for food poisoning should be provided as quickly as possible, then you can do without the help of specialists. With food poisoning, the patient feels severe weakness, so for several days he needs a sparing daily routine. The first day it is recommended to completely refuse food and sleep more. Starting from the second day after poisoning, a diet should be followed so as not to burden the patient’s gastrointestinal tract. On the second day, the patient can be fed with jelly, breadcrumbs, liquid mashed potatoes or oatmeal porridge cooked in water.

It is not always possible to provide first aid to the patient on your own; with symptoms such as loss of consciousness, blurred vision and difficulty swallowing, you need to call a doctor at home. If a child is poisoned, you should not take any measures on your own, you need to contact specialists.