Saving 3 children from botulinum poisoning due to pork roll, the antidote for the "sour pickled fish case" was transferred from Quang Nam to Ho Chi Minh City

SGGPO May 16, 2023 10:52

On May 16, Cho Ray Hospital said that doctors worked overnight to transport and treat three children with botulinum poisoning after eating street-sold pork rolls.

The doctor is examining the patient

Previously, at around 9am on May 13, a family of 4 (living in Thu Duc City) including an aunt and 3 siblings NVH (14 years old), NVĐ. (13 years old) and NTX (10 years old) bought pork roll from a street vendor of unknown origin to eat with bread.

After eating, around 12-18 hours that same day, all 4 people had stomachaches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea many times. Then, symptoms of fatigue, body aches gradually appeared and the 3 children gradually had muscle weakness.

On May 14, all three children were admitted to Children's Hospital 2 in a state of exhaustion. Patient NVĐ. showed signs of drooping eyelids and weakness in both legs, and at 5 a.m. on May 15, he suffered respiratory failure and had to be intubated and put on a ventilator. The other two children, NVH and NTX, also showed signs of drooping eyelids and weakness in the afternoon of May 14.

By the morning of May 15, these two children also had drooping eyelids, gradually weakening limbs, and muscle strength of about 4/5, so Children's Hospital 2 invited doctors from the Department of Tropical Diseases, Cho Ray Hospital to assist because they suspected the patients were poisoned.

At around 3pm on May 15, after consulting with doctors from Children's Hospital 2, Cho Ray Hospital agreed to diagnose suspected botulinum poisoning due to eating pork roll. By 7pm the same day, paraclinical tests were consistent with the diagnosis of botulinum poisoning.

Due to the urgent nature of botulinum poisoning, if treatment is delayed, it will lead to muscle paralysis and respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation for 3-6 months, so doctors decided to treat as soon as possible to avoid serious complications.

Cho Ray Hospital immediately contacted the Northern Mountainous Regional General Hospital of Quang Nam to transfer BAT (2 remaining bottles after the treatment of a cluster of botulinum poisoning cases due to eating pickled fish in March 2023).

Saving 3 children from botulinum poisoning due to pork roll, the antidote for the

Cho Ray Hospital doctors were present at Tan Son Nhat airport to receive BAT medicine.

At 1 a.m. on May 16, the Cho Ray Hospital team arrived at Tan Son Nhat Airport to welcome the team from the Northern Mountainous Region General Hospital of Quang Nam to transport BAT medicine directly to Children's Hospital 2.

At Children's Hospital 2, after a final consultation, in the early morning of May 16, all 3 children were given BAT to detoxify botulinum. After 1 hour of infusion of the antidote, the children were all stable with no signs of anaphylaxis.

As of 6am this morning (May 16), the children's condition is stable. They will continue to be monitored and their health status will be re-evaluated every 4 hours.

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