Module 18: Toxicology Flashcards
What is an overdose?
A toxic or lethal dose of a drug
What are some helpful questions to ask the pt and bystanders about poisoning?
What substance?
How long ago were you exposed?
Quantity?
Last oral intake?
Antidote?
How much do you weigh?
Name the routes of poisoning
absorption, injection, inhalation, ingestion
Name the two goals of treating a pt who has been poisoned
“the solution to pollution is dilution”
“remove the patient form the agent, remove the agent from the patient”
How should patients who have inhaled a toxin be treated?
Remove pt if safe to do so
administer oxygen
If a chemical suicide is suspected, what should the EMT do?
Look for signs (hoses, buckets).
if suspected, retreat and call additional resources.
How should EMTs approach absorbed surface contact poisons? How should pts with damage to their eyes be washed?
Remove clothing by cutting, not tearing
Flush area with copious amounts of water
For eyes, wash laterally and move away from rest of face
About ___% of all poisonings are accidental ingestions
80
How does EMS treat ingestion poisonings?
Airway, breathing, and circulation
Is it possible to dilute injected substances?
No, treat with naloxone instead
Alcohol is the __ leading cause of preventable death in the US
third
Describe the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal
seizures, delirium tremors (shaking, confusion, hypertension, hallucinations) , and death
What are the characteristics anticholinergic reactions? Name some common drugs
Block of parasympathetic response
Accelerated sympathetic response
“hot as a hare, blind as a bat, dry as a bone, red as a beet, and mad as a hatter”
benadryl, jimsonweed, some psychmeds
How are anticholinergic overdoses treated by EMTs?
Rapid transport, O2 administration
What are the symptoms of cholinergic agents? Name some common drugs
Nerve gas
Organophosphate insecticides
Overstimulate parasympathetic
SLUDGEM: (salivation, Lacrimation, Urination, Defecation/drool/diarrhea, Gastric upset/cramps, Emesis, Muscle twitching)
