Gastric lavage

Gastric lavage is a medical procedure aimed at removing gastric contents during stagnation and poisoning. Doctors strongly recommend that you do it yourself at home. For first aid, contact a medical institution, otherwise with the wrong actions you can only aggravate the patient's condition.

When is it necessary to flush the stomach?

1. Poisoning with food, medicines, alcohol and mushrooms;
2. The narrowing of the output section of the stomach;
3. Intestinal obstruction;
4. Reducing the tone of the muscular wall of the stomach or duodenum;
5. With the release of toxic substances into the lumen of the stomach.

Contraindications to the procedure:

1. Disorders of cerebral circulation;
2. Cramps;
3. Lack of laryngeal or cough reflex;
4. Organic narrowing of the esophagus;
5. Acute bleeding from the esophagus or stomach;
6. Severe burns of the larynx, esophagus, stomach acids and alkalis;
7. Myocardial infarction, unstable angina, severe cardiac arrhythmias;
8. Unconscious state.

How do the gastric lavage?

The technique of home washing is to induce vomiting, irritating the mucous membrane of the root of the tongue and pharynx with fingers after drinking heavily. The patient must drink 6 tbsp. warm water with a small amount of soda. Liquid for washing should be 35 - 37 degrees. This will prevent cooling of the body and slow down intestinal peristalsis, so that toxic substances do not advance along the gastrointestinal tract.

During washing the patient should take a sitting position. After drinking water, put your legs together, put your left hand on the stomach and press it gently. The body must be tilted to the knees. Fingers of your right hand, push the root of the tongue. Thus, you provoke a gag reflex. This is the most common method of washing the stomach at home.

After vomiting, a sour taste may be observed in the mouth. Drink 500 ml of boiled water with the addition of 1 tsp. soda Then induce vomiting again. Repeated washing will lower acidity. After this, be sure to drink a tablet of chloramphenicol.

Such washing can be carried out after food poisoning or in the presence of problems with digestion. Contraindication to this method is poisoning with poisoning cauterizing agents, kerosene, and other petroleum products.

In some cases, it is recommended to take sorbents - substances that remove toxins, toxins and other harmful substances from the body.

In addition to the simple method, you can use the more complex. For this, you need a special device consisting of a thick rubber tube and a funnel. Before washing the stomach, the device must be sterilized by boiling, then rinse thoroughly. For the procedure, prepare 8 - 10 liters of warm water. Set the patient on a chair, lean it against the back of the chair, tilt your head forward. Place a pelvis at the patient's feet.

Enter the probe into the stomach, the end of which goes to the root of the tongue. Synchronously direct it with light movements with swallowing movements of the patient in the direction of the esophagus. With the introduction of the probe can not make sudden movements. When it is introduced into the stomach of not less than 50 cm, put a funnel on the free end.

Pour water into it and tilt it slightly. Initially, the funnel should be kept below the patient's mouth. When it is filled with water, raise it until the liquid reaches the neck of the funnel. Then, lower it and pour the contents of the stomach into the basin. From the stomach should come as much fluid as it entered. After the procedure, you must remove the probe and rinse your mouth.

Features of gastric lavage in children

The techniques and principles of gastric lavage in children are practically no different from an adult procedure. However, it has its own characteristics:

• The child is better to fix, so you need an assistant. Seat the baby in the hands of an assistant, he must grab the feet of the patient. One hand must be fixed hands, and others - the head. The child can be wrapped in a diaper or a sheet, laid on its side.
• The diameter of the probe must be selected depending on age. The volume of liquid for washing a newborn - 30 to 50 ml, for a child of 1 - 6 months - 100 ml, for 6 - 12 months - 200 ml. For children older than 1 g, the volume is calculated using the formula 200 + 100 ml x n-1 (n is the number of years).
• Consider how much liquid you have injected and how much you removed. Excessive introduction of water into the intestines can cause poisoning.

What solutions can be used?

Saline solution. To prepare, take 5 liters of water and add 3 tbsp. salt. With this solution, a spasm of escape from the stomach is caused and the toxins are prevented from entering the intestine.

Gastric lavage with potassium permanganate. Dilute a small amount of potassium permanganate in 2 liters of water. The water should become a pale pink color. Filter the solution using filter paper or gauze before rinsing. This method has a drawback: potassium permanganate irritates the gastric mucosa.

Sorbent solution. This solution is considered one of the most effective. Sorbents contribute to the removal of various toxins, harmful microorganisms and allergens from the body.

Soda solution. If you are poisoned by acid, you can try to use a 2 percent solution of soda.

Lemon solution. If alkali poisoning occurs, you should immediately wash the stomach with a solution of citric acid.

Gastric lavage is not the most pleasant procedure, but in case of poisoning, it is extremely effective. Specialists do not recommend washing at home, otherwise complications can be obtained. If there is no other way out, and you have to do the procedure at home, be sure to follow all the rules of this technique.