Patient V.V.S. (52 years old, residing in Ho Chi Minh City) was brought to the Emergency Department, Thong Nhat Hospital at 10:15 PM on March 23 in a drowsy state, convulsing after mistakenly drinking a large amount of chemicals. According to family members, about 2 hours after drinking, the patient began to have reduced response, convulsions appeared and was quickly taken to the hospital.
At the time of admission, the patient was in a very serious condition: respiratory failure, contraction of the accessory respiratory muscles, low blood pressure, cold limbs. Doctors also recorded typical signs of organic phosphorus poisoning such as increased phlegm secretion, damp skin, pupil contraction of about 1mm. Test results showed that the patient had severe metabolic acidosis, pH only 6.8, lactate 20 mmol/L - a very poor prognosis if not treated urgently.
Immediately, the emergency team deployed active resuscitation: intubating the patient with a ventilator, washing the stomach, using activated carbon to limit the absorption of toxins. At the same time, the patient was continuously given high-dose Atropin, adjusted metabolic acid status with bicarbonate, and underwent continuous blood filtration to support kidney function as well as remove toxins from the body.
According to Pham Thi Thanh Thuy - MSc. MD, Department of Intensive Care - Poison Control, Thong Nhat Hospital, the patient was diagnosed with Carbamat poisoning (a poisoning condition due to exposure or drinking of chemicals belonging to the Carbamat group - often used in pesticides, insecticides and some agricultural chemicals), complications of respiratory failure, severe metabolic acidosis, acute kidney damage. Notably, the patient also has many underlying diseases such as hypertension, intervened two-branch coronary artery disease and dyslipidemia, making the treatment process even more challenging.
After 6 days of intensive treatment, the patient's condition improved significantly. The patient was removed from the endotracheal tube, breathed well on his own, pulse and blood pressure were stable and transferred to the Department of Internal Medicine for treatment as required to continue monitoring. Currently, the patient has recovered and been discharged from the hospital.
Early identification of signs of poisoning, especially when there is exposure to chemicals, plays a key role in rapid diagnosis and timely treatment, thereby improving the patient's chances of survival," MSc.BS Pham Thi Thanh Thuy emphasized.
Doctors also warn that chemical poisoning can progress very quickly, leading to respiratory failure, shock, severe metabolic acidosis and multiple organ failure. If not treated promptly, the risk of death is very high.
To prevent unfortunate accidents, people need to be careful when using and storing toxic chemicals. Do not store chemicals in drinking water bottles or mix them with food, to avoid dangerous confusion. When signs such as lethargy, convulsions, shortness of breath or increased phlegm secretion appear, it is necessary to quickly take the patient to the nearest medical facility for timely treatment, avoiding missing the "golden time" to save their lives.
