Parenting - Prenatal to preschool/Parenting_PrenatalToPreschool.bin/dp/0013/00133.txt

Text File | 1993-06-25 | 15KB | 264 lines

$Unique_ID{PAR00133}
$Font{NP}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Poisoning}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Poisoning Rapid breathing ears Ringing Nausea Overexcitement
Unconsciousness Burns burning lips mouth tongue Abdominal pain Vomiting Blood
vomit vomited lost consciousness syrup of ipecac poison control center Acids
Ammonia Benzene Bleach Carbon tetrachloride Cleaning Correction fluid
Dishwasher detergent Drain cleaner Furniture polish Gasoline Glue Insect spray
Kerosene Lye Oven cleaner Paint thinner Polishes Solvents Tobacco products
Turpentine poisonous substances unlabeled containers original container
medication medications Adhesives swallow swallows swallowed emetic activated
charcoal aspirin overdose vomitus inhale inhales inhaled carbon monoxide fumes
iron tablets stomach pumped}
$Log{}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Poisoning


     Emergency Quick Reference

     POSSIBLE SYMPTOMS
     - Rapid breathing
     - Ringing in the ears
     - Nausea
     - Overexcitement
     - Unconsciousness
     - Burns on lips, mouth, and tongue
     - Abdominal pain
     - Vomiting
     - Blood in vomit

     EMERGENCY TREATMENT
     1. Get the poison away from the child, and make sure that there is none
        left in his mouth.  Try to find out what the child took, how much he
        took, and when the incident occurred.
     2. Call your local poison control center for instructions.  Do not wait
        for symptoms to appear, and do not call your doctor, the hospital, or
        anyone else first.
     3. Be prepared to answer questions about your child's age and weight;
        what your child ate or drank, how much, and when; whether he has
        vomited or lost consciousness; and whether you have syrup of ipecac
        available.  Have the poison container at hand, if possible; you may be
        asked to read the label over the telephone.
     4. Exactly follow the instructions of the poison control center
        personnel.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - Keep the phone numbers of the local poison control center, your doctor,
       and emergency services (fire, police, ambulance) next to your
       telephone.  Don't wait for an emergency to look up these numbers.
     - Always keep syrup of ipecac in your medicine cabinet.  Check the
       expiration date periodically to be certain of effectiveness.
     - Never induce vomiting in a child who is not fully conscious.
     - Be aware that treatment for poisoning depends on the substance taken,
       and that in the case of some poisons, vomiting can worsen the child's
       condition.

     DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING IF YOUR CHILD HAS SWALLOWED:
     Acids                                        Glue
     Ammonia                                      Insect spray
     Benzene                                      Kerosene
     Bleach                                       Lye
     Carbon tetrachloride                         Oven cleaner
     Cleaning fluid                               Paint thinner
     Correction fluid                             Polishes
     Dishwasher detergent                         Solvents
     Drain cleaner                                Tobacco products
     Furniture polish                             Turpentine
     Gasoline

     - Keep all poisonous substances out of the reach of children, preferably
       in a locked cupboard to which only you have the key.
     - Never store a dangerous substance in anything but its original
       container.
     - Do not keep medications in unlabeled containers.
     - Make sure all medications, not just those intended for children's use,
       have child-resistant caps.
     - Make sure that your children do not come into contact with dangerous
       substances in other people's homes, and be alert to the possibility
       that visitors to your home may bring such substances with them (for
       example, a medication in a container without a child-resistant cap).


     COMMON HOUSEHOLD POISONS

     Adhesives (such as glue and paste)        Laundry products
     After-shave                               Laxatives
     Alcoholic beverages                       Lighter fluid
     Ammonia                                   Lye
     Antifreeze                                Medications of any kind
     Art materials                             Moth repellents
     Aspirin and acetaminophen                 Motor oil
     Auto wax                                  Mouthwash
     Baby powder                               Nail polish
     Batteries (including "button" batteries)  Nail polish remover
     Benzene                                   Naphtha
     Bleach                                    Oil of wintergreen
     Boric acid                                Oven cleaner
     Carbon tetrachloride                      Paint
     Charcoal lighting fluid                   Paint thinner
     Cleaning products                         Perfume
     Correction fluid                          Pet medications
     Cosmetics                                 Plant sprays
     Deodorants                                Rodenticides (mouse and
     Dishwasher detergent                        rat poisons)
     Disinfectants                             Room deodorizers
     Drain cleaners                            Rubbing alcohol
     Fertilizers                               Rust remover
     Floor wax                                 Scabicides
     Fungicides                                Shampoo
     Furniture polish                          Shoe polish
     Gasoline                                  Soaps
     Grease remover                            Solvents
     Hair-care products                        Swimming pool and aquarium
     Herbicides                                  chemicals
     Houseplants (some)                        Tobacco
     Ink                                       Toilet bowl cleaner
     Insecticides and pest strips              Turpentine
     Insect repellent                          Vitamin and mineral supplements
     Iodine                                    Weed killer
     Kerosene                                  Windshield washer solution

     Young children, because of their curiosity and their inexperience, are
constantly at risk for poisoning.  Knowing what to do (and what not to do) in
an emergency can save your child's life.
     In a large enough quantity, any substance (even water) can be poisonous,
but some substances are more apt to be swallowed in harmful amounts than
others.  In the United States, common causes of poisoning of children include
soaps, detergents, cleaning products, bleaches, vitamins, iron tonics,
insecticides, plants, polishes and waxes, tranquilizers, hormones, and other
prescription and over-the-counter medications (including aspirin and aspirin
substitutes).  Other common poisons include boric acid, oil of wintergreen,
volatile hydrocarbons (gasoline, kerosene, turpentine, naphtha, cleaning
fluids), strong acids, and alkalis (such as drain and oven cleaners).
     The first step in preventing poisonings is to keep all medications,
cleaning substances, paints, and other hazardous substances in places where
your child cannot get to them.  Many poison control centers provide
information on childproofing your house; some will send packets of "Mr. Yuk"
stickers for labeling poisonous materials, so that your child can learn to
identify and avoid these dangerous substances.
     Another important way to be prepared for poisoning emergencies is to
stock your medicine chest with syrup of ipecac.  Syrup of ipecac is an emetic
(a substance that makes one vomit).  Periodically check the expiration date on
the bottle to be certain of effectiveness.  Some physicians also recommend
that you keep activated charcoal (a special liquid form of charcoal) on hand.
Activated charcoal works by being extremely absorbent--when swallowed, it will
absorb a wide variety of substances from the stomach and prevent them from
entering the bloodstream.  Both syrup of ipecac and activated charcoal can be
obtained without a prescription from any drugstore.
     It is a good idea to contact your local poison control center before an
emergency arises.  Confirm the phone number and find out if the center is
staffed with poison control specialists 24 hours a day.  If not, try to find a
facility that is, and keep their phone number handy.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     It is often apparent when a child has taken a poison.  He may tell you,
or you may see an empty bottle lying around.  If your child is behaving
strangely, suspect poisoning.  The telltale signs of aspirin overdose are
rapid breathing, ringing in the ears, nausea, overexcitement, and eventually
unconsciousness.  If your child consumes an acid or alkaline substance, there
will usually be burns on his mouth and tongue.  Many liquids have a
distinctive odor that may be a tip-off.  An overdose of an iron tonic produces
abdominal pain and severe vomiting, often with blood in the vomited material,
followed by collapse.
     Not all poisons leave telltale signs, however.  If you have any suspicion
at all that your child has been poisoned, call the poison control center
immediately.  Do not wait for the appearance of definite symptoms.

HOME CARE

     The first step in treating poisoning is to get the remaining poison away
from your child.  If there is any poison left in his mouth, try to get him to
spit it out.  Try to ascertain exactly what and how much the child consumed
and when the poisoning occurred.
     Immediately call your local poison control center--before you call your
doctor, the hospital, or anyone else.  Be prepared to tell them what your
child ate or drank, how much, and when; your child's age and weight; whether
he has vomited or lost consciousness; and whether you have syrup of ipecac
available.  They can then tell you what to do next.  Treatment differs for
different types of poisons.  What is right for one poison may be wrong for
another.  Follow their instructions exactly.
     Make every attempt to contact a poison control center, hospital, or
doctor.  If professional help is unavailable, however, follow these general
guidelines before taking your child to the nearest emergency room:
     Do not attempt any treatment if your child is unconscious or very woozy
or is having a convulsion.  Concentrate your efforts on getting him to a
medical facility.
     Most poisons should be gotten out of a child's stomach (by vomiting) as
soon as possible; however, others are better left in the stomach temporarily,
because they will do additional damage as they come back up through the
esophagus and the throat.  As a general rule, if your child has taken a
normally edible substance (such as a medication), induce vomiting with syrup
of ipecac, but if he has taken an acid or alkaline substance or any substance
that is not normally edible (for example, gasoline or furniture polish), do
not induce vomiting--just get him to a hospital.  Read the label on the bottle
or container of the substance ingested; many product labels tell you if you
should try to induce vomiting.
     Syrup of ipecac is the best medicine for inducing vomiting.  For children
under one year of age, give one to two teaspoonfuls of syrup of ipecac; for
children over one year of age give three teaspoonfuls.  Follow the dose
immediately with one or two glasses of water, and then leave for the nearest
medical facility.  Do not expect immediate results; it takes five to ten
minutes for ipecac to work.  If you get no results, give your child more
water.  Do not give your child milk; it may lessen the effectiveness of the
ipecac and make it more difficult to see what is in the vomitus (the material
he throws up).  Do not use syrup of ipecac and activated charcoal together;
the charcoal will absorb the ipecac before it can work.  If there are no
results in 20 to 30 minutes, repeat the ipecac dose (only if the child is over
a year old).  Once begun, vomiting may continue for 20 to 30 minutes.
     Even if you think that the danger has passed--your child seems to have
vomited all of the poison and to be feeling all right--take him to a medical
facility as soon as you can.  (Bring a sample of the poison and the vomitus,
if available.)  Effects of poisons are not always immediately apparent, and
delayed reactions are possible.
     If your child inhales a poison (for example, carbon monoxide from car
exhaust fumes or from a blocked chimney), immediately remove him from the
vicinity of the fumes to fresh air, and then contact the fire department or
the emergency room of your local hospital.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  Keep the telephone numbers of police and fire departments, your doctor,
     and the local poison control center near the telephone.
  -  Always have syrup of ipecac in the house.  Check the expiration date
     periodically to be certain of effectiveness.
  -  The most important precaution is prevention.  See that all poisonous
     substances are stored out of the reach of children, under lock and key if
     necessary.
  -  Put safety locks on all cupboards that contain poisonous substances.
  -  Never store a dangerous substance in anything but its original container.
  -  Do not keep medications in unlabeled bottles.
  -  Insist on child-resistant caps on all bottles that contain poisonous
     substances.  (However, don't be casual about storage of substances in
     containers with such caps.  Remember that "child-resistant" means only
     that most children cannot manage to open it.)
  -  Many drugs and vitamin and mineral supplements look and taste like candy.
     Teach your child that medicine isn't candy, and don't present medicine or
     vitamins as a treat.
  -  Be aware that more children are fatally poisoned by adult aspirin than by
     children's flavored aspirin.
  -  Be careful with iron tablets.  They taste sweet, look like candy, and can
     be deadly.
  -  When visiting other people's homes, do not let your children explore
     until you are sure that there are no poisons within reach.
  -  When guests visit you, be certain that their medications are out of reach
     of children.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     If the syrup of ipecac doesn't work, your child may need to have his
stomach pumped.  A flexible plastic tube win be inserted up into his nose and
down into his stomach.  Although the insertion is uncomfortable, it is
necessary to allow the doctor to clean out the child's stomach.  Further,
treatment varies with the substance taken and your child's condition.