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Household gas poisoning is one of the most common reasons for calling an ambulance. This situation is very dangerous for human health. Timely assistance not provided can lead to death. No one is immune from such cases, so it is important to know what to do and how to provide first aid to the injured person.
In the event that the poisoning occurred voluntarily, we are talking about suicide. Then you will need the help of not only a therapist, but also a psychologist. You can help a person in any case, if you do it on time.
Poisoning reasons
You can get poisoned by household gas by inhaling it. This substance enters the air in various ways. These can be loose boundaries of gas pipes in apartments, stove handles that are not completely closed, incorrect operation of gas equipment, damage to pipes, or deliberately released gas.
The most dangerous is the leakage at night. In this case, in a dream, a person may not notice or smell the gas. Most often, the result of such unpleasant events is a fatal outcome.
Symptoms of household gas poisoning
Methane is a domestic gas that is supplied through main gas pipelines to people’s apartments and houses. It is colorless and odorless, so poisoning occurs very easily. It is for this reason that other types of gas have begun to be added to methane, which have some flavor. But despite this, household gas poisoning occurs.
One of the main symptoms of poisoning is headache. Most often, it has an increasing intensity and is aching in nature. In certain cases, pain occurs in the forehead and temporal zone. Most often, a person cannot explain their localization. Also, in people who have been poisoned by household gas, movement coordination is disturbed. This is due to severe dizziness, everything blurs before the eyes of a person, limbs weaken.
Confused consciousness is noted. The victim is not able to explain what is happening to him, cannot answer simple questions – for example, voice his name, surname, date of birth.
In addition, nausea and vomiting are observed. These are fairly common signs of any poisoning. In some cases, they can save a person’s life, since with incessant vomiting, the victim has to seek help from doctors. There is also pain in the chest area. This symptom may not necessarily be present, but victims of household gas poisoning often indicate the presence of pain behind the sternum. In certain cases, others may perceive this as a manifestation of a heart attack. Only a doctor can make a definite diagnosis.
It is important to understand that often the victims are unconscious, so it is almost impossible to get any explanation from them. In such a situation, you need to pay attention to the skin. When poisoned with household gas, they turn red or blue.
There is a certain group of people in whom the described signs are too pronounced. It includes those who have diseases of the respiratory system and heart problems that occur in a chronic form. This also applies to pregnant women, young children and the elderly. In addition, this category includes smokers and people with chronic blood pathologies.
Forms of poisoning
In medicine, there is a clear distinction between household gas poisoning:
- light form;
- medium form;
- severe form.
With a mild form, there is dizziness, weakness in the body, a desire to lie down and sometimes pain behind the chest. In this state, a person can independently leave the room and seek help.
The middle form is more dangerous. The condition sharply begins to worsen, to the symptoms of a mild form, violations of coordination of movement are added, the pulse quickens, consciousness is confused.
In a severe form of poisoning, a person is unconscious, he may develop symptoms of pulmonary edema, the heart and brain are affected.
There is also an instant form of household gas poisoning. In this case, after a few breaths, asphyxia occurs and the victim loses consciousness. This is the most dangerous form, as a person dies after a few minutes.
First Aid
Naturally, if a person finds himself in such a situation and is close to the victim, you should immediately call an ambulance, which will carry out all the necessary resuscitation measures. Waiting for doctors, you need to correctly provide first aid. First, the victim should be taken out to fresh air. If this is not possible (the person has a lot of weight), then open all windows, doors and vents, creating a draft in the building. On the street, a person should be put on his back, ice or a wet chilled towel should be applied to his head. If these items are not available, you can use whatever is at hand – for example, a piece of frozen meat.
Next, the human body is freed from squeezing things: unbutton a shirt, jacket, remove a sweater or T-shirt, loosen the belt on the trousers. If a person is conscious, it is important to provide him with a drink. Plain purified water is ideal, but any soft drink will do. It is also important to maintain contact with the victim, preventing him from falling asleep or losing consciousness.
When providing first aid to victims, it is important not to make mistakes so as not to worsen their condition. It is important to remember that in a room filled with household gas, you can not turn on electrical appliances, use matches and a lighter. Such actions may cause an explosion and fire.
When help has to be provided in the building, it is better to get assistants. The ideal option is 2-3 people. If artificial respiration is required, it should be done exclusively with a wet handkerchief. It is placed on the victim’s mouth, and the breath is taken through the nose. This is necessary in order to avoid poisoning the rescuers. If a person is unconscious, but the pulse and breathing are within normal limits, you can try to bring him to his senses with ammonia. To do this, a piece of cotton should be moistened with alcohol.
Poisoning treatment
Household gas poisoning can be cured only in a hospital setting. First of all, doctors should prescribe all kinds of examinations that will help determine which organs are affected. According to the results obtained, therapy is selected. The nuances of treatment depend on the individual characteristics of each person. Cardiac drugs are prescribed to normalize the work of the heart and blood vessels. Painkillers can eliminate headache and retrosternal pain, as well as get rid of the symptoms of intoxication.
It is important to carry out physiotherapy procedures. With their help, you can restore the functioning of the respiratory system and prevent inflammation. All of the above means are used only if the victim is conscious.
In cases where a person is unconscious, first of all, resuscitation actions are performed. This includes intubation and oxygen supply to the lungs, the introduction of anticonvulsants. Drugs are prescribed strictly by a doctor. After the patient has come to his senses, he is left in intensive care or transferred to a general ward, where he will continue treatment.
To avoid terrible consequences and not encounter a similar problem, it is important to monitor the operation of gas equipment. In the event of the slightest damage, contact a specialist. If a person notices a gas leak, immediately turn off the gas supply with a valve and call a team of specialists.
In addition, it is important to always ventilate the room in which there is gas equipment. If the device does not have an automatic alarm system, it is categorically not recommended to leave it unattended. Also, you can not use a gas stove as a heater. After you finish using the gas stove, you need to close the valves tightly, and also avoid getting various liquids on the gas burners.
If you follow all the simple recommendations and take this issue seriously, you can avoid such a danger as household gas poisoning.