A 51-year-old woman from Bình Sơn District, Quảng Ngãi, Mrs. P.T.M., was hospitalized in critical condition after consuming homemade pufferfish. She was immediately admitted and received intensive treatment, ultimately overcoming the crisis.
Critical pufferfish poisoning patient rescue – 1
Symptoms, Emergency Treatment, and Rapid Deterioration
Following the pufferfish meal, Mrs. M. quickly experienced symptoms including fatigue, disorientation, and severe vomiting. Her family rushed her to the hospital. Doctors performed gastric lavage, administered activated charcoal, and transferred her to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for close monitoring.
However, her condition worsened after about 5 hours, with symptoms progressing to respiratory muscle weakness, deep coma, urinary dysfunction, and respiratory acidosis. To save her life, doctors intubated her, provided mechanical ventilation, and performed plasmapheresis to remove the accumulated toxins. Fortunately, after 6 hours of plasmapheresis, Mrs. M. began to regain consciousness and showed significant improvement.
Recovery and Discharge
After intensive care and observation, Mrs. M.’s health gradually stabilized, and her strength fully recovered. She was extubated and discharged on March 11th. However, due to a fever and risk of pneumonia from inhaling vomit, she continued home-based monitoring and treatment to ensure a complete recovery.
Expert Medical Advice
According to Dr. Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Diễm from the ICU, pufferfish contain Tetrodotoxin, concentrated primarily in the skin, liver, intestines, and gonads. Improper preparation can lead to serious poisoning. Recently, the hospital has admitted several similar pufferfish poisoning cases.
Dr. Diễm advises caution when preparing and consuming pufferfish. If you suspect pufferfish poisoning (symptoms include nausea, numbness in the lips and extremities, disorientation, and loss of consciousness), immediately seek medical attention to avoid serious consequences, or even fatalities.
Related Keywords: Food poisoning, Pufferfish, Tetrodotoxin, Emergency, Intensive Care, Poison Control, Quảng Ngãi
