Hospital best for poison victims

Gran and Grandpa have gone away and left you in charge of their home - a real house with space and a garden that Gran loves. You've planned it for weeks: a six-man (and woman) Fifa World Cup tournament to decide - once and for all - the greatest football nation.

No, who are we kidding? This is most about video game supremacy. Friends are bringing refreshments; the party is on!

Everyone is having fun, even those that represented their nations poorly. Out of nowhere, one of your friends stumbles and falls to the ground, causing a glass to crash to the floor. Everyone is stunned.

A quick look on the table shows the source of the disaster - a half-empty glass with some blue liquid. On the floor beside him is a little drink bottle with the same blue liquid. Then you remember: your gardening-crazy granny, to save space, placed an insecticide in a smaller drink bottle. Then she put it in the fridge to avoid spoiling. You realise the severity of the situation: your friend mistakenly drank poison.

What do you do?

Make sure the poison will not be mistaken by someone else. It is a good idea to keep the bottle containing any remaining poison for now, so that you can pass it on to emergency services.

It's never a good idea to rebottle poisonous materials in food containers anyway. It easily confuses people and you're setting yourself, and houseguests, up for a potentially fatal mix up.

Dr Axel Siu Yuet-chung, the First Aid and Automated External Defibrillation Consultant for Hong Kong St John Ambulance Association, says that getting to a hospital is your safest bet, be it under their own will or by ambulance.

Different types of poison require different treatment. It's not something you should try on your own. Leave it to doctors. Also, Dr Siu says to never try and manually induce vomiting.

You can poke the wrong area in the oesophagus, causing permanent damage. You could also cause the victim to choke on their own vomit.

Check your friend for vital signs. Breathing is always a good sign. If he is unconscious yet breathing, you'll need to place him in the recovery position while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

The recovery position is meant to minimise obstructions to the airway. Position your friend so that he is lying on his back with legs straight and arms resting by his hips. Remove glasses (where necessary) and other troublesome objects or jewellery from the victim.

Bend his elbow - the arm should be at a right angle with the palm facing upwards. Bring the other arm across his chest and hold it against his cheek nearest you. Use your other hand to grasp the thigh on his far leg and lift until the foot is flat on the ground.

Roll him towards you, keeping the hand against his cheek, until he rests on his side. Tilt his head back so that his airway remains open. Wait for the emergency personnel to arrive. Give them the bottle with the poison or tell them what it is if you know.

Steps to help a poison victim

1 Put the poison away to avoid further injuries.

2 Assess the severity. Call 999 if needed.

3 If victim is unconscious and breathing, place in recovery position.

4 Wait for medical help to arrive.

5 Don't try to induce vomiting. You'll do more harm than good.

6 Inform the doctor or paramedic about the poison.

Kenneth Chu Wai-shing, first aid lecturer at Hong Kong St John Ambulance Association, provided information for this article

Hong Kong St John Ambulance Association offers a wide range of first aid training courses. Go to www.stjohn.org.hk or call 2524 4888

How to put someone in the recovery position

1. A St Ambulance instructor demonstrates the technique on a volunteer. First check that the victim is still breathing.

2. Bend the victim's right arm up at an angle of 90 degrees, so that the arm remains lying flat on the ground.

3. Gently reach over and take the person's left hand and pull it across their body and position it up next to their right cheek.

4. Bend the victim's left leg. Kneel to the right of them and grip behind their left thigh and also their left elbow.

5. Gently roll the person towards you until their left foot is flat on the ground and their left hand touches the ground.

6. Tilt back the victim's head back so the airway remains open. Stay with them until help arrives.