Ate homemade laotan kimchi
Mother and daughter were both poisoned and admitted to ICU
The mother and daughter from Dongguan lay in the intensive care unit of the Twelfth People's Hospital of Guangzhou for 20 days due to eating homemade Laotan kimchi, and were discharged on August 19.
Botox was detected in their vomit and homemade kimchi jars.
Both mother and daughter were poisoned, cross-city relay treatment
On July 3, Xiaohua (pseudonym), who was about to enter the first year of high school, suffered from nausea and vomiting after eating the pickled kimchi at home. The mother who also ate kimchi also developed this symptom.
The condition of the mother and daughter continued to worsen over time, and symptoms of limb weakness, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and decreased blood oxygen saturation appeared one after another, and they were sent to the local hospital ICU for rescue.
On July 7, after inspection by the local CDC, "Botox" was detected in their vomit and homemade kimchi jars.
According to the family's request, the two were transferred to the Twelfth People's Hospital of Guangzhou for treatment. The hospital immediately started the green access treatment process, and prepared a special antidote - botulinum antitoxin from the drug store in advance, and began treatment immediately after admission to the ICU.
"The fatality rate of botulinum toxin poisoning can reach 35%." Chen Yunchao, director of the Department of Critical Care Medicine of the hospital, introduced that botulinum toxin is one of the most severe neurotoxins at present.
Antitoxin therapy should be used as soon as possible after the clinical diagnosis is established.
The effect of the special antidote is immediate.
The next day, Xiaohua's hands were able to lift off the bed.
However, when the mother and daughter came to the hospital, they had serious infections, weak respiratory muscles, and inability to sputum voluntarily, so they still needed to rely on a ventilator to breathe.
Fortunately, after anti-infection, adjustment of enteral nutrition, combined with acupuncture, passive limb movement and other rehabilitation physiotherapy, they successfully removed the tracheal intubation on July 22 and 26, and were transferred out of the ICU on July 27.
These foods should be fully heated before eating
It turns out that Xiaohua’s family has the habit of eating homemade kimchi from the old altar. The kimchi altar that was detected with botulinum toxin has been used for 6 years. The family regularly adds vegetables (beans, leafy vegetables, peppers, radishes, etc.), salt to the altar Then it is sealed and soaked, the "sour soup" in the jar is never replaced, and the soaked kimchi is eaten directly - "perfectly" in line with the elements of botulinum toxin production.
Chen Yunchao emphasized that botulinum toxin is sensitive to heat and can be destroyed at 100°C for 10 minutes. Fermented foods, frozen foods, and canned foods must be fully heated.
Chen Yunchao specially reminded that adult food-borne botulinum toxin poisoning is common in privately made fermented foods and canned products, and is related to the production environment, improper storage and eating habits.
Common foods include stinky tofu, sausage, bacon, ham, bean paste and fish products, non-meat (corn, bamboo shoots) canned and fermented flour products have also been reported to cause botulinum toxin poisoning.
Foodborne botulism in infants is commonly caused by ingestion of botulinum-contaminated honey, milk powder, fruit and vegetable juices, etc.
In addition, the threat of botulinum toxin is greater for infants because the infant's intestinal flora has not yet formed a normal probiotic flora.
"The incubation period of food-borne botulinum toxin poisoning is 6 hours to 8 days, generally 12-48 hours, and there are some people who develop symptoms within 1-2 weeks." Chen Yunchao reminded that, different from ordinary food poisoning, food-borne botulinum toxin poisoning mainly manifests as Nervous system symptoms such as muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal symptoms are not obvious.
Iatrogenic botulinum toxin poisoning also needs to be vigilant
In addition to food-borne poisoning, because botulinum toxin is widely used in micro-plastic surgery, iatrogenic poisoning due to improper injection methods or overdose is not uncommon.
As the Guangzhou Chemical Poisoning Rescue Center, Guangzhou Twelfth People's Hospital receives some patients who are admitted to the hospital every year.
Chen Yunchao pointed out that after improper injection, botulinum toxin will cause local or systemic poisoning symptoms in patients through blood circulation and nervous system transmission. Blurred vision, diplopia, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, and severe respiratory paralysis can lead to death.
Chen Yunchao reminded that people who inject botulinum toxin and injections should go to large professional and regular hospitals; if they have symptoms of poisoning after botulinum toxin injection, they should be treated in time.
Once botulinum toxin poisoning is diagnosed, botulinum toxin antitoxin should be used early and in sufficient quantities to delay and prevent the progression of the disease.
Yangcheng Evening News reporter Lin Qingqing correspondent Liao Wenbo