What to do if your child accidentally drinks iodine

Povidone-iodine is a disinfectant that is usually used to disinfect skin lesions. Some parents don't pay attention and put things casually, and then put iodine tincture in places where children can easily reach. Because children are still relatively young, they don't know that iodine tincture is not edible. Therefore, children are likely to accidentally ingest iodine tincture. Usually, iodine tincture and other things that are not good for children should be placed in places where children cannot reach. What should I do if my child accidentally drinks iodine? Let’s take a look at it next.

1. What should I do if my child accidentally drinks iodine?

If the amount of iodine is accidentally ingested, there is no need to go to the hospital. You can let your child drink more water to enhance microcirculation and promote excretion of the body. If the amount is large, it is recommended to go to the hospital for examination.

2. Iodine

Iodine tincture is an amorphous combination of elemental iodine and polyvinylpyrrolidone (Povidone). Polyvinyl pyrrolidone can dissolve and disperse 9% to 12% of iodine, which appears as a purple-black liquid. However, medical iodine tincture usually has a lower concentration (1% or less) and appears light brown. Iodine tincture has a broad-spectrum bactericidal effect and can kill bacterial vegetative bodies, fungi, protozoa and some viruses. It is used as a bactericidal disinfectant in medicine. It can be used to disinfect the skin and mucous membranes, treat burns, and treat trichomoniasis, candidal vaginitis, and fungal skin infections. It can also be used for pre-operative and other skin disinfection, skin disinfection of various injection sites, instrument immersion disinfection, and pre-vaginal surgery disinfection.

3. Feature Application

Iodine is very effective in disinfecting common injuries such as burns, frostbite, knife wounds, abrasions, and bruises.

Compared with alcohol, iodine causes less irritation and pain, is easier for patients to accept, has a wide range of uses and definite effects, and has basically replaced skin and mucous membrane disinfectants such as alcohol, mercurochrome, iodine, and gentian violet. In addition, low-concentration iodine tincture is a light brown solution that is not easy to stain clothing.

Although iodine tincture has been widely used in hospitals, non-medical staff's understanding of iodine tincture is not as good as that of traditional disinfectants such as mercurochrome, iodine tincture, and gentian violet.

4. How to use

The common concentration of medical iodine tincture is 1%, which can be directly applied for skin disinfection.

Diluted twice, it can be used for gargling with stomatitis;

2% iodine is used to disinfect hands and other parts of the skin during surgery;

0.5% iodine tincture is used for vaginitis flushing.

5. Indications

Iodine-containing disinfectant is suitable for skin disinfection, surgical site disinfection and hand disinfection before surgery.

6. Safe use

Iodine is an external medication and is not for oral administration.

Iodine tincture dilute solution is low in toxicity and non-corrosive. However, dilute solutions are unstable and need to be prepared before use. Avoid contact with silver, aluminum and divalent alloys because they are corrosive to metals. It is forbidden to use it with antagonistic drugs such as mercurochrome. The iodine stock solution should be stored at room temperature away from light.

7. Adverse Reactions

It has obvious irritation to mucous membranes during normal use. A few people have allergic reactions.

8. Misuse reaction

Oral overdose may cause corrosive gastroenteritis-like symptoms, including vomiting, hematemesis, heartburn, and bloody stools. In severe cases, shock may occur.

High concentrations of iodine tincture contacting skin and eyes can cause burns, ulcers, etc.

IX. Countermeasures

Severe allergic reactions may cause laryngeal edema, asthma-like attacks or shock. When dealing with eye or skin contamination, rinse immediately and thoroughly with clean water. If symptoms do not improve or worsen, you should see a specialist hospital for treatment. After oral poisoning, you can take a lot of starch or rice soup, and pay attention to preventing and treating laryngeal spasm and pulmonary edema. When an allergic reaction occurs, give anti-allergic drugs and symptomatic treatment.