We studied an adult man who often drank alcohol. He drank too much at a party at night, resulting in alcohol poisoning. The next afternoon, he still couldn't eat. Even drinking water would cause him to vomit bile along with it, accompanied by dizziness and palpitations. We gave him fluid replacement and placed him in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. After he came out of the chamber, his symptoms of dizziness and palpitations were relieved, and he no longer vomited after drinking water.
Acute alcohol poisoning is caused by excessive drinking and is often characterized by disorders of the central nervous system, mostly manifested as abnormal behavior and consciousness. Chronic alcoholism causes damage to multiple organs and systems.
Acute alcohol poisoning is classified into mild, moderate and severe types
Mild neurological manifestations of only emotional and verbal excitement states, such as incoherent speech, but without aggressive behavior, able to walk but with mild motor incoordination, drowsiness can be awakened, simple responses are basically correct, and neural reflexes exist normally.
Moderately in a state of drowsiness or coma. Having manic or aggressive behaviors that cannot be relieved by verbal or psychological counseling. A severe ataxia state characterized by confusion accompanied by weakened neural reflexes. There are false hallucinations or convulsions. On the basis of mild poisoning, there are obvious manifestations of organ function impairment, such as arrhythmias related to alcohol poisoning (frequent premature beats, atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, etc.), manifestations of myocardial injury (abnormal ST-T, myocardial enzymology increase by more than twice), or upper gastrointestinal bleeding, pancreatitis, etc.
Severely in a coma. Symptoms of insufficient microcirculation perfusion may occur, such as pale complexion, cold and damp skin, slightly purple lips, accelerated heartbeat, weak or palpable pulse, and compensatory increase or decrease in blood pressure (below 90/60 MMHG, or a decrease of more than 30mmHg in systolic blood pressure compared to the basal blood pressure). When coma is accompanied by shock with decompensated clinical manifestations, it is also called extremely severe poisoning. Manifestations of acute functional insufficiency of vital organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys and lungs occur.
The mechanism of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for alcohol poisoning
Increasing the partial pressure of oxygen in tissues and raising the oxygen content can accelerate the body's metabolism and speed up the oxidation of alcohol.
Hyperbaric oxygen can constrict blood vessels, improve tissue edema, and reduce the occurrence of cerebral edema, pulmonary edema and shock.
3. Increase blood and oxygen supply to the vertebrobasilar artery, restore the function of the reticular structure, and accelerate the patient's recovery.
4. Improve liver and kidney functions, promote liver metabolism, blood circulation and the excretion of toxins.
5. Hyperbaric oxygen ensures the oxygen demand of the patient's brain tissue, minimizes the damage caused by alcohol and its metabolites to the brain tissue, and reduces the occurrence of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
