Water treatment Question

[Topher38]

Hey I was just on an allergic reaction call and on the way home I was thinking about the treatments for allergic reactions.

Oxygen, Keep airway open ventilate if you have to, Epinephrine Auto Injector, ALS

Say the patient is allergic to peanuts, sense an ingested would you be able to give the patient water? Would that even help? Because I was thinking you give an overdose/poisening patient water or activated charcoal to help slow down the process.

So would giving water to someone who ingested something they are allergic to help them? Or would it not even do anything considering that they are already having the allergic reaction?

I dont see why the water would hurt them, but if they are having trouble breathing already maybe you wouldnt want to give them anything oral. Im going to check my books on it. But give me some input on your treatment for someone with an allergic reation. Please and thanks.

 

[Doc Kafka]

No, I would not give them water.

When someone is having an anaphylactic reaction, the LAST thing they are worried about is drinking something.

If their airway is closing, obviously you want to get that epi on board immediately. Because as you know, if the airway is closed, there is little to no air exchange.

You are an EMT student? I'm not looking at your post right now. Benadryl, and sometimes albuterol or solu-medrol (depending on your protocols).

And, often....very often, a patient having a true anaphylactic reaction will upchuck if you give them water.

Most severe reactions will have gastrointestinal spasms, so that water, along with everything else the person has eaten that day is coming back up. Or out the other end.

No water (I'm sure that you know this) when the person is unconscious.

There may be some chuckles or questions about the water, from the nurses or docs if you try this.

Just some advice. Other providers can be pretty ruthless if they disapprove of your treatment. But please continue to ask these questions before you try them.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Doc Kafka]

Oooops sorry Topher. You are an EMT-Basic. I couldn't see your post before I replied.

 

[Airwaygoddess]

The airway is already compromised, besides the throwing up there is possiblity of aspiration, and laryngeal spasms. Hi flow O2, suction ready and load and go. Follow the protocals set by your medical director. Hope this helps!

 

[Ridryder911]

There are 3 letters one should remember in emergency patients [size=+4] N.P. O. [/size]

 

[Paramajik]

Water?!

I like them 3 letters... tis a good rule to stand on, not just by!

 

[rgnoon]

It really doesn't need re-iterating after so many qualified professionals have already said it but I feel compelled....Noooo Water...like Rid Said NPO.

 

[Topher38]

kk thanks.

 

[BruceD]

Hi Topher
I think I see some confusion, I apologize if I am wrong...

It would be best not to relate anaphylaxis to poisons as they are really very different mechanisms.

If someone swallows a poison (discounting acids, bases, fat solubles..etc), the body digests the poisons from the stomach & intestines. As the poison is digested, it passes throughout the body where the toxin produces it's effects by whatever specific mechanisms. Giving charcoal or something else to dilute or bind the poison will slow it's absorption (and re-absorption), decreasing the maximum blood levels the body is exposed to and giving you more time to get to a place able to treat them.

Anaphylaxis on the other hand is a protective immune mechanism that has gone haywire, body-wide.
The patient has been previously exposed to a substance (we'll use your example of peanuts) that has caused the body to produce IgE, a protein, that binds to specialized cells, known as mast cells (this is called sensitization, as the patient's immune system is now on the look out for the offending substance). Future detection of that foreign substance in often minuscule or nearly undetectable amounts by inhalation, ingestion, or contact by the sensitized cells sets off what is basically a chain reaction that can encompass most of the body.
The mast cells release their stored chemicals that cause all those nasty symptoms associated with anaphylaxis (resp distress, hypOtn, flushing, urticaria, etc). The symptoms may show up nearly instantaneously.

Even supposing the patient did indeed suffer the reaction due to ingestion and not by other routes, and you knew the substance, AND you had something that would bind it, it would be too late by the time you got there to use it. Think of it like this, does it stop the dynamite if you blow out the match that you just used to light the fuse?

I apologize for the length of response, probably more information than you wanted... I can always tell when I'm procrastinating..

take care
-B

 

[certguy]

Hi Topher ,

I've been on both sides of an anaphalactic reaction . As an EMT and as the pt. It's a very scary situation for the pt. Worse when you know what's going on . Your airway does close up and you can't swallow . You DEFINITELY DO NOT want to give the pt. anything orally .


Craig