MAE HONG SON – A Facebook post by the staff of the Ramathibodi Poison Center went viral. Netizens praised and thanked the teams at Khun Yuam Hospital and Sri Sangwal Hospital in Mae Hong Son province for coordinating the transfer of a young patient who was comatose, unconscious and had severe acidosis due to cyanide poisoning from a silver cleaning solution.
Dr. Somsak Uthaipibul, director of Sri Sangwal Hospital in Mae Hong Son, said the incident occurred on January 6, 2024. Staff at Khun Yuam Hospital were informed that a child had drunk silver cleansing solution thinking it was normal water. The child fell unconscious and was intubated and taken to Sri Sangwal Hospital.
Fortunately, the child’s mother brought the bottle containing the substance that the child had drunk to show to the attending doctor so that the staff knew what the poison was. They then coordinated with Sri Sangwal Hospital to arrange for an antidote to be given to the child en route, which saved his life in time.
Varanyu Jamnongprasartporn, director of the Mae Hong Son provincial health department, said Mae Hong Son is a remote area, so care for patients has been provided through a network system for some time. Most cases in the region involve eating poisonous mushrooms or pesticides for which they have antidotes. This is the first case of cyanide poisoning in the province.
Theerada Wongjai, who was present at the scene, wrote: “The antidote, which is the hero for cyanide poisoning, is not available in small hospitals like this one. The child had to be taken to the provincial hospital 60 kilometers away for treatment. The road is winding and narrow, so they couldn’t drive fast. They couldn’t make it in time. So the antidote was sent on its way by a driver. When the child arrived at the provincial hospital, the antidote was administered again until the child woke up.”
“The treatment of this small child was like a race against cyanide poisoning, which destroys the cells in the body. We released the antidote (sodium nitrite and sodium thiosulphate) into the bloodstream so that it would combine with the cyanide and neutralize it.”
Silver cleansing solution is a common product used by the Hmong to wash their tribal clothing, which contains silver strips attached to the clothing. During the New Year festival, the tribal clothing is washed to make the silver shine.
Because of this case, doctors and authorities have warned the public, especially those who have young children, to make their surroundings safe. Cyanide is a very toxic substance that can kill someone within minutes. Another warning is that if you have a cardiac arrest, you can press on the heart but do not kiss the mouth to revive as you could get cyanide poisoning and risk your life.
