GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF TREATMENT

AND MEDICAL AND LEGAL DUTIES IN

POISONING
• If a patient comes with poisoning to
emergency medico legal registration should
be carried out.
• Preliminary particulars including name,
age, sex, occupation, caste, address, date,
time brought by whom, history.
• Doctor should enquire about the nature of the
poison
• Relevant police station should be informed
• In case of accidental poisoning, public health
authorities should also be informed
• If poison is not identified then treatment should
be on general lines
• Proper specimen should be taken including
utensil, bottles or containers of the medicines,
suspected food or drink, urine, vomit and faeces
, clothes and soiled bed sheets.
 GENERAL TREATMENT
• Removal of unabsorbed poison
• Use of Antidote
• Elimination of absorbed poison
• Treatment of general symptoms
• Maintenance of patient general condition
 REMOVAL OF UNSABSORBED POISON

• Inhaled poison
• Injected poison
• Contact poison
• Ingested poison
1. Emesis
2. Gastric lavage
 USE OF ANTIDOTES
• Mechanical or physical
1. Demulcent
2. Bulky food
3. Charcoal
• Chemical
1. KMnO4
2. Weak solutions of iodine
• Physiological or Pharmacological
1. Atropine for pilocarpine
2. Caffeine for morphine
3. Atropine and oximes for organophosphorous
compounds
4. Chelating agents
o BAL
o EDTA
o N- Penicillamine
o Desferrioxamine (D.F.M)
• Universal antidote