What is the difference between poisoning and accidental first aid?

The core difference between the two is that the starting point of the first aid logic is completely different - ordinary emergency first aid must first control fatal injuries and preserve vital signs, while first aid for poisoning must first cut off the poison absorption pathway and determine the type of poison as soon as possible. The priority is not even a bit different.

Don't think this is a concept on paper. When it comes to the emergency scene, problems will arise if you get the priorities wrong. I was on a police trip with my team last month, and on the same afternoon I met two elderly people in similar situations. They were both supported by their family members and complained of dizziness and nausea. One fell down the stairs and hit the back of his head, and the other ate wild mushrooms he picked for lunch.

We first fixed the head and neck of the one who fell, wiped the secretions from his mouth and nose to ensure smooth breathing, and applied pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. There was no need to worry about whether he fell because he stepped on the air or was dizzy. We just held down the risk of intracranial hemorrhage and airway obstruction that may be fatal, and sent him to the hospital for detailed CT scan. But the one who ate mushrooms had a completely different process. First, we asked his family members how much he had eaten, how long he had eaten, and whether there were any remaining mushrooms. The old man was still conscious and it was less than two hours after eating. We quickly induced vomiting. On the way, we sent photos of the mushrooms to colleagues in the emergency department and prepared a special antidote for toadstools in advance. At this time, if we were busy measuring blood pressure and lowering the intracranial pressure, the toxins were still getting into the blood, and no amount of symptomatic treatment was useful.

Speaking of the operation of first aid for poisoning, there has been a long-standing debate in the industry. In the early years, no matter what the poisoning was, the first priority was to induce vomiting. Now that there is more evidence-based evidence, the scope of application has been narrowed. If you mistakenly take corrosive poisons such as toilet cleaners and oxalic acid, vomiting will cause vomiting. It will cause repeated burns to the esophagus. If the patient has fallen into a coma, inducing vomiting can easily cause the vomit to be choked into the trachea and suffocate. There are still slight operational differences in the first aid guidelines in different regions. If you encounter a situation, it is safest to give priority to the on-site guidance of 120 dispatch.

To put it bluntly, ordinary accidental injury first aid is like a rain leak at home. First plug the largest hole to prevent water from getting in again. Other small leaks can be repaired slowly.； First aid for poisoning is more like having a thief in your home. You need to lock the door first to prevent him from moving things. It is best to be able to identify what the thief looks like so that when the police come, they can accurately spot him.

Another difference that many people don’t pay attention to is the subsequent processing chain. After ordinary accidents are handled, family members are reminded to pay attention to hidden dangers, such as replacing the anti-slip mats at home and tightening the stair handrails if they are loose. We have to be more careful about poisoning. If someone is poisoned after eating in an outside restaurant or coming into contact with items distributed collectively, they must report to disease control as soon as possible to avoid mass poisoning.

If we ordinary people encounter a similar situation, don't force yourself to distinguish the type. It is right to call 120 as soon as possible. Explain clearly the patient's symptoms, what he has eaten and touched before, and whether there is any obvious trauma. The dispatcher will give the most suitable guidance for the scene, which is much more reliable than searching for half-baked strategies on your own.