In this season, when the children are on vacation, the end of the year parties, reunions, meetings with family and friends arrive, events or situations can occur that put any member of the close nucleus at risk.
Blows, burns or poisoning are situations that can occur at any time, so prevention and self-care become the best weapons to avoid adverse events and thus spend peaceful festivities.
Our doctors María del Rosario Rojas, toxicologist; Ana María Robledo, a plastic surgeon, and Andrés Machado, a traumatologist orthopedist, give us a series of recommendations for events that may occur and how to react while going to the emergency department.
Poisoning (María del Rosario Rojas – toxicologist)
“This season there is a peak of poisoning due to white phosphorus, central nervous system depressants (benzodiazepines) and adulterated alcohol, in addition to food poisoning during the holidays,” says Dr. María del Rosario.
Gunpowder: When the poisoning is given orally, the affected person begins with gastric problems, abdominal pain and vomiting, then bleeding appears and finally multi-organ failure occurs that can lead to death.
In the event that the poisoning is through the skin, it occurs when the affected person has been burned and has not washed the wound well and, finally, there is the respiratory, which is when smoke inhalation causes irritation in the respiratory tract.
How to proceed?
- If you got burned you should wash the affected skin with plenty of water. You should not use soap and you should go to the medical service.
- If you had contact with the eyes or respiratory tract, you should also wash with plenty of water.
- If the poisoning is by mouth, you should not induce vomiting. Ideally, you should go to the emergency room as soon as possible.
Alcohol: Buy liquor in places authorized for the distribution of alcoholic beverages; check that the packaging is properly sealed; go out to share with known people; avoid receiving liquor, drinks or food from strangers. “Do not mix alcohol with other substances such as drugs or energy drinks and it is important that the person also drink water when drinking and before that eat food,” says the doctor.
Burns (Ana María Robledo – plastic surgeon)
- For burn events, the lesion should be irrigated very well with water at the weather. This process should be done for at least 5 minutes.
- The wound should be covered with a clean cloth and the person affected should be taken to the emergency service as soon as possible.
- Avoid applying home remedies. The proper management of a wound guarantees a better recovery and avoids an infection on the affected area.
bumps and falls
“The most important thing in these cases is prevention, that is, at home we must be careful with the location of the different elements that we may have in it, install non-slip floors in the bathrooms, avoid using mats or objects that increase the possibility of accident”, points out Dr. Machado.
What to do in the event of a fall or blow?
- Take to the nearest health service and in the shortest possible time, but while that happens you should avoid touching the injury or the affected area.
- Try to immobilize the area with cardboard and a bandage, a towel.
- Put ice and avoid manipulating the area.
- In the case of the elderly, they should not move, the person affected should be accommodated and ask for help from the medical service to transfer them to a care center.
At our Institution we have the best specialists in different areas, as well as state-of-the-art technology and adequate infrastructure for the care of our patients and their families.