Two sisters and their brother aged 2, 5 and 7 from Anenii Noi district were admitted to the hospital in a state of advanced coma after they swallowed pills they found at a waste dump near their grandparents’ yard while they were playing. The children were conveyed to the Mother and Child Institute by the Aviasan service and placed in the intensive care unit.
The head of the Institute’s somatic intensive care section Ana Oglinda has told IPN that the kids were brought to the hospital in a very serious state, in an advanced coma of the second level, and were diagnosed with drug poisoning. After several days of treatment, they regained consciousness and are now out of danger. The three will continue to receive treatment in the neurology section.
Their mother said the children had convulsions and hallucinations at night and they called an ambulance the next day. Specialists warn that the children recover with difficulty after suffering drug poisoning and can even die if the assistance is not provided on time. To avoid such cases, the grownups must never leave the children unsupervised as a moment’s inattention can endanger their lives. Special attention must be paid in the families where some of the members take medicines regularly. The drugs must not be left on the table, nightstand or other places. Being of different colors and looking like candidates, the pills attract the children and should be thus kept in locked places. The expired medicines must be thrown away in places that are not within children’s reach.
In case of drug and other kinds of poisoning, the parents must react promptly and immediately seek medical assistance. The children of an early age must be urgently taken to the hospital. In other cases, the parents can consult the specialist of the TOXAPEL service on 022.555.220. This service provides telephonic assistance to parents and medical personnel, teaching them how to give first aid in case of child poisoning.
Information about how to protect the child in different situations can be found on www.parinti.md and following the activities of the information campaigns centering on the prevention of home accidents involving children within the Regionalization of Pediatric Emergency and Intensive Care Services Project (REPEMOL). The project is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and is implemented by the Center for Health Policies and Services.
