Coma and gas poisoning from burning coal for heating

Coma, gas poisoning due to burning coal for heating

Her family discovered that she was unconscious and unresponsive to calls, and immediately took her to Ha Quang General Hospital for emergency treatment, then transferred her to the provincial general hospital. As big as.

On January 16, doctors in the emergency department of the stroke unit of Cao Bang Provincial General Hospital actively resuscitated and closely monitored the patient’s vital indicators. However, the patient’s condition remains very serious, with brain damage due to CO poisoning, leading to a deep coma.

Using coal for heating in winter is a common practice in many northern mountainous regions, especially in cold regions.

However, coal smoke contains many toxic ingredients such as carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and other substances such as sulfur oxides (SOx). ), soot and unburned hydrocarbons (CnHm), formaldehyde (HCHO)… These substances, when emitted into the air, will directly affect human health.

In particular, CO is a colorless and odorless gas that is very difficult to detect. When inhaled, CO quickly enters the bloodstream, reducing blood oxygen levels, causing symptoms such as headache, dizziness, dizziness, weakness, nausea, chest pain, and mental disturbances. Inhaling large amounts of CO can lead to loss of consciousness and death very quickly.

Doctors recommend that people in cold weather absolutely not use charcoal and close the doors of the house. According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, director of the poison control center at Bach Mai Hospital, burning coal, wood or using gas in a closed room will reduce oxygen and produce more and more CO, causing poisoning.

CO gas has no color or odor and is very difficult to detect, especially during sleep. The process of CO poisoning occurs quickly. When inhaled, CO gas leaks into the blood and replaces the oxygen in the blood, causing the victim to experience headaches, dizziness, dizziness, nausea, chest pain, and mental disturbances.

When experiencing unusual signs, the victim may lose the ability to resist and gradually lose consciousness. Inhalation of large amounts of CO can cause severe poisoning, leading to loss of consciousness and rapid death, especially in pregnant women, children, the elderly, or people with chronic heart or lung disease.

Around 40% of people poisoned with CO will have long-term after-effects such as memory loss, difficulty concentrating, paralysis of facial muscles, abnormal movements, difficulty walking, stiff and trembling limbs, hemiplegia. …

To prevent CO poisoning, the Department of Environmental Management, Ministry of Health recommends that people use safe heating appliances instead of burning coal and firewood in closed rooms .

In economically difficult regions where modern machines cannot be equipped, people should not use charcoal or honeycomb charcoal to burn in closed rooms. If it is too cold and you have to use coal, you should only use it for a short time, open the door slightly to provide ventilation and only heat when everyone is awake; Absolutely no heating at night and close the bedroom door.

Families who regularly use coal stoves for cooking should place the stove in a well-ventilated area, do not burn coal indoors or in tents, and do not allow motorcycle or car engines to run in the room. even with the door open.

When detecting a person poisoned by coal gas, family members should quickly open the door to ventilate the air, wear a wet mask, and remove the victim from the danger area. If the patient stops breathing or has weak breathing, it is necessary to immediately perform artificial respiration and promptly take the victim to the nearest medical institution.

For modern heating methods such as infrared heaters (heating fans, heat lamps, fireplaces…), special care should be taken and not placed near children and the elderly. The distance for placing the radiator should be 1-2 meters and should be in rotating mode to avoid direct heating. When using an electric blanket, you should check carefully before use, turn on the warm mode and turn it off when it is hot enough. Do not wash the electric blanket while it is still damp.

I thought I had a headache, but it turned out I had lung cancer that had spread to my brain.

A 70-year-old man suffered from persistent headaches, dry cough, chest pain and fatigue for two weeks. When he went to the doctor, he was found to have brain metastases from lung cancer.

According to his family, the patient has smoked for more than 50 years, drinks a lot of alcohol and suffers from diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results showed brain metastases. Then, a chest and abdominal CT scan confirmed that the lung cancer had metastasized to the brain and adrenal glands.

Dr Pham Cam Phuong, director of the Center for Nuclear Medicine and Oncology at Bach Mai Hospital, said the patient is in a high-risk group as he is a long-time smoker, an alcoholic and suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Currently, doctors have created a treatment regimen to prolong life, adapted to the patient’s health condition.

Lung cancer is one of the three most common types of cancer and the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. According to Globocan 2020 data, in Vietnam, lung cancer ranks second among both men and women, just after liver cancer in men and breast cancer in women. Every year our country records more than 26.000 new cases and 23.700 deaths.

Men are three times more likely to develop lung cancer than women, mainly due to smoking. More precisely, 90% of cases of lung cancer are linked to smoking and 4% to passive smoking. Smoking increases the risk of lung cancer 15 to 30 times compared to other types of cancer. In addition, genetic factors and environmental pollution also contribute to increasing the risk of disease.

Dr Phuong stressed that early detection of cancer helps increase the treatment success rate and reduce treatment costs. Lung cancer screening detects 80% of cases at an early stage, when treatment is much more effective than when the disease is at an advanced stage. Screening methods include blood tests (CEA, CA-125, Cyfra 21-1…), x-rays or computed tomography (CT).

The Bach Mai Hospital doctor also recommended that in case of unusual signs such as prolonged cough, fatigue, shortness of breath or unexplained weight loss, people should seek medical attention immediately. In particular, people who smoke or have a family history of cancer should be screened regularly after age 40.

Beware of a rare fungus that eats away at the chest

Filamentous fungal bacteria grow strongly, associated with a complex fungal infection in the patient’s chest area, therefore active treatment with fungicides, intravenous antifungal drugs and thorough disinfection are necessary.

The Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases announced that it has successfully treated a patient with a rare fungus causing necrosis of muscle tissue in the left chest region.

Before that, after a day of work at the cemetery, Mr. NTT (60 years old, hometown Tuyên quang, housekeeping profession) noticed a small red spot appearing on his chest, like a common pimple. Two days later, this red spot gradually enlarged, the size of a fingernail, turned black and spread. Mr. T decided to have himself examined and hospitalized at the district medical center.

However, after two days of treatment, not only did the ulcer not improve, but it also spread and caused pain. The same night, MT was transferred to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Doctors diagnosed him with necrotizing cellulitis in the left chest region and a history of chronic gout and hypertension.

When admitted to the hospital, MT was still conscious, but the ulcer on his chest was black and necrotic, measuring approximately 10 × 10 cm and spreading. Doctors from the Department of Trauma Surgery – Orthopedics – Spinal Neurology diagnosed him with tissue necrosis similar to gas gangrene and decided to undergo surgery to remove the necrosis. However, on the second day after the operation, the doctor discovered that the patient was suffering from a fungal infection causing necrosis.

Filamentous fungal bacteria grow, and since the chest area is complicatedly infected with fungi, MT should be actively treated with fungicides, intravenous antifungal drugs, combined with thorough disinfection.

According to specialist doctor I Pham Van Tinh, Department of Traumatology – Orthopedics – Spinal Neurology, fungal necrosis is a fairly rare disease and very difficult to identify at an early stage.

The first signs are often unclear, as the disease progresses quickly with black ulcers on the skin (very dangerous), but does not produce pus or redness. So it is necessary to pay attention to black lesions on the skin for early detection.

MT underwent a second surgery to completely remove the necrotic areas and filamentous fungal bacteria penetrating deep into the muscle tissue. After this operation, his health gradually stabilized. It is expected that after 7 days, MT will continue to undergo surgery to repair the chest.

Doctor Pham Van Tinh recommends that people, especially trauma victims, pay attention to scratches that come into contact with dirt. These sores are susceptible to fungal infections and can carry a high risk of death if not treated promptly.