Australian doctors revealed last week that they drip-fed an Italian tourist a steady dose of vodka over three days to save his life after he poisoned himself.
The 24-year-old man was taken to a north Queensland hospital two months ago after he swallowed a large amount of a potentially-fatal substance found in antifreeze in an apparent suicide attempt.
Doctors at Mackay Base Hospital decided the best method of saving the unconscious man's life was to reverse the effect of the poison, ethylene glycol, by giving him pharmaceutical-grade alcohol.
Dr. Pascal Gelperowicz said that once the hospital's alcohol supplies ran out doctors sent out for a case of vodka and the unusual drip was set up.
"We quickly used all the available vials of 100 percent alcohol and decided the next best way to get alcohol into the man's system was by feeding him spirits through a nasal-gastric tube," Gelperowicz said.
His colleague Dr. Todd Fraser said the patient was given about three standard drinks an hour for three days in the intensive care unit.
"Fortunately for him, he was in a medically induced coma for a good portion of that," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"By the time he woke up, I think his hangover would have well and truly gone."
Although unusual, the treatment was approved by hospital officials.
"The hospital's administrators were also very understanding when we explained our reasons for buying a case of vodka," Fraser said.
The patient regained full health and was discharged from the hospital after 20 days. (AFP)
澳洲醫生上週透露,他們為一名服毒自殺的義大利觀光客持續吊了三天的伏特加酒點滴,救回了他的性命。
這名二十四歲男子,兩個月前吞了大量防凍劑所使用的致命物質,顯然有意尋短,隨後被緊急送往昆士蘭省北部的一家醫院。
馬凱貝斯醫院的醫生決定,要拯救這名失去知覺男子的最佳辦法,就是在他體內注入藥用酒精,來中和有毒物質乙二醇對身體的作用。
帕斯卡爾.傑爾培洛威茲醫生說,醫院庫存的酒精用盡後,醫生們立刻向外訂購了一箱伏特加酒。而這項不尋常的點滴治療就此開始。
「我們很快就用完所有的純酒精,然後決定下一步將酒精注入這名男子體內的最佳方式,是經由鼻胃管餵他烈酒,」傑爾培洛威茲醫生說。
他的同仁陶德.佛瑞塞說,這名病患連續三天,在加護病房每小時被注入約三個標準杯量的伏特加烈酒。
「幸運地,他大半時間都處於麻醉昏迷的狀態,」他告訴「澳洲廣播公司」。
「在他醒來前,我想他的宿醉也早退了。」
儘管這項治療方式很不尋常,卻是經過醫院主管核准的。
「當我們向醫院行政主管說明必須買一箱伏特加酒的理由時,他們也非常能夠理解,」佛瑞塞說。
這名病患經過二十天的治療後,已完全康復出院了。 (法新社/翻譯:楊鴻泰)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
There are several methods to prevent or slow down enzymatic browning in fruit. __3__ This lowers the pH level of the fruit tissue, causing the PPO to be far less active. Another method is to store the fruit in an airtight container or to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Doing this will reduce its exposure to oxygen. __4__ Although fruit that has undergone enzymatic browning may look less appealing, it is still safe to eat. However, by using one of these simple methods, you can enjoy fresh-looking fruit for a longer period. 有一些方法能避免或減緩水果的酶促褐變。其中一個有效的方式就是在切片水果的表面塗上酸性物質,像是檸檬汁或醋。這樣做能降低水果組織的酸鹼值,讓 PPO 更不為活躍。另一個方式是將水果存放在密封的容器內,或用保鮮膜將其緊緊包住。這樣做會減少水果與氧氣的接觸。快速蒸一下切片水果或將其短暫浸泡在滾水中也能使PPO失去活性,並終止 PPO 與空氣的作用。 雖然經歷酶促褐變的水果可能看起來較不吸引人,但仍然可以安全食用。然而,藉由採用這些簡單方法中的其中一個,你就能在更長的一段時間享用看起來新鮮的水果。 What Did You