HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1985-09-25, Page 57t.
By Eli ab.th M. Howard
Bubble bath. Silver
polish. Lilies of the
valley. Mistletoe.
Alcoholic beverages.
These are but a few
of: the man-made and
natural things which contain
poisons and should be off-limits
to curious children. Even the
most cautious parents, however,
cannot always protect their
children from the bewildering
array of potentially dangerous
substances around them.
A young Virginia mother
recently feared that her 14 -
month -old daughter had
swallowed a chemical used to
preserve flowers. She quickly
phoned the Blue Ridge Poison
Center at the University of
Virginia Medical Center, one of
some 40 regional poison centers
across the country with a 24-
hour, free hotline service for
advice on emergency medical
treatment for poisonings.
A nurse or trained poison
expert was on hand at the
Virginia center to ask the
mother vital questions — what
On another occasion, two 8 -
year -old boys were playing with
a can of dog repellent and one
was sprayed in the eye. The
boy's mother phoned the poison
center and was told to
immediately flush the eye out
with water. "He was checked
for symptoms and "was all right,
but any eye exposure to poisons
can be serious," says Hilda
Collins, a registered nurse and
manager of the Blue Ridge
Center.
Collins notes that there is
medical backup on every call the
center receives. "Depending on
the age of the victim., either a
toxologist, physician in internal
Medicine or pediatrician in the
hospital is consulted," she says.
"A doctor often talks directly to
the caller."
The center follows up on all
such emergency calls within the
hour and twice again in the next
24 hours. When the patient
shows active poisoning
symptoms, he is advised to
come to the closest hospital
treatment center.
Over 60,000 different poisons
and their 195,000 name
variations are tracked on a
computer system. The system
was pioneered at Virginia's
Medical Center by Dr. Daniel
A. Spyker, a co-director of the
center, assistant professor of
internal medicine who also holds
a doctorate in electrical
engineering as well as an M.D.
degree.
The Virginia center, according
to officials at the National
Clearinghouse of Poison
Control Centers, is the nation's
largest computer-based poison
information system.
This center and similiar ones
nationwide offer medical
expertise on poisonings so that
8.4 percent of the country's
poiscm cases an be treated "
home. Parents and children are
saved the worry and expense of,
an emergency -room visit and
insurance payment, notes Hilda
Collins. _
National figures show these
staffs primarily help children
between the ages of 2 and 1Q„,
who have accidentally swallowed
or inhaled poisonous substapces..
The numbers and types, of
calls vary depending on the -time ll
of year. "This is a very seasonal ki
business," confirms Dr. Alan Rogol, co-director of the center ,i
and an associate professor of
pediatrics at the University of
Virginia Medical Center. "In
the spring and summer, we see
poisonings from insect sprays,
had her child taken, how much,
when was it taken and what
symptoms was she showing?
The expert then typed the
name of the flower preservative
into a computer programmed to
recall information on poisons,
including their physiological
effects and the most appropriate
treatment.
The mother was told which
symptoms to watch for, in this
case nausea and possible
diarrhea, and was prescribed
syrup of ipecac to induce
vomiting. The toddler was
treated at home and was spared
any harmful effects from her
chance sampling of the
preservative.
which
i .
JACK HEY OO
Bus: 473-3655 s: 4 x5.86.49
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