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Hair straightener poisoning
Definition This poisoning is from swallowing hair straightener. Poisonous Ingredient - Sodium hydroxide (found in relaxer/straightener products that use lye)
- Guanidine hydroxide (found in relaxer/straightener products that do not use lye)
- Ammonium thioglycolate (found in relaxer/straightener products that do not use lye)
- Polyethyelen glycol
- Mineral oil
Where Found - Various hair straighteners
Symptoms - Lungs
- Breathing difficulty
- Throat swelling (may cause breathing difficulty)
- Eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and throat
- Severe pain in the throat
- Severe pain or burning in the nose, eyes, ears, lips, or tongue
- Loss of vision
- Gastrointestinal
- Severe abdominal pain
- Vomiting
- Burns of the esophagus (food pipe)
- Vomiting blood
- Blood in the stool
- Heart and blood
- Hypotension (low blood pressure) develops rapidly
- Collapse
- Severe change in blood acid levels -- leads to organ damage
- Skin
- Irritation
- Burn
- Necrosis (holes) in the skin or underlying tissues
Home Treatment DO NOT make a person throw up. Seek immediate medical help. If the chemical is on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes. If the chemical was swallowed, immediately give the person water or milk, unless instructed otherwise by a health care provider. DO NOT give water or milk if the patient is having symptoms (such as vomiting, convulsions, or a decreased level of alertness) which make it hard to swallow. Before Calling Emergency Determine the following information: - The patient's age, weight, and condition
- The name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
- The time it was swallowed
- The amount swallowed
Poison Control, or a local emergency number The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions. This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the U.S. use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible. See National Poison Control center. What to expect at the emergency room The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. The patient may receive: - Fluids
- Medicines to treat symptoms
- Activated charcoal
- A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage)
- Medicines to treat an allergic reaction (diphenhydramine, epinephrine, or prednisone)
- Endoscopy -- the placement of a camera down the throat to see the extent of burns to the esophagus and the stomach
- Medicine (antidote) to reverse the effect of the poison
- Irrigation (washing of the skin), perhaps every few hours for several days
- Skin debridement (surgical removal of burned skin)
In severe cases, the patient may be admitted to the hospital. Expectations (prognosis) How well the patient does depends on how fast the poison was diluted. Extensive damage to the mouth, throat, and stomach are possible. The ultimate outcome depends on the extent of this damage. Damage can continue to occur to the esophagus and stomach for several weeks after the product is swallowed. Death may occur up to a month after the poisoning. Review date: 3/8/2006 Reviewed By: Stephen C Acosta, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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