What are the causes of sudden death from alcohol poisoning?

Drinking too much will cause foaming at the mouth. Some people may suffer from alcohol poisoning due to drinking too much. Alcohol poisoning can be divided into two types: one is ordinary drunkenness, and the other is pathological drunkenness. Severe alcohol poisoning can cause a person's breathing and heartbeat to be suppressed, leading to sudden death. No matter what type of alcohol poisoning it is, it is harmful to the human body. So what are the causes of sudden death from alcohol poisoning? Let’s take a look together.

1. Ordinary drunkenness is caused by drinking a large amount of alcohol at one time, which manifests as a special state of excitement, such as increased talking, repetition, bragging, emotional instability, irritability, and sometimes aggressive behavior. At this time, the patient often has slurred speech, unstable gait, and is accompanied by facial flushing, increased heart rate, low blood pressure, dizziness, vomiting, etc. Some may become drowsy, but they can generally recover on their own.

2. Pathological drunkenness refers to a transient state of confusion caused by drinking a small amount of alcohol, which may be accompanied by hallucinations, delusions and impulsive behavior, but generally does not cause slurred speech or unsteady gait. It lasts from several minutes to several hours, ending with a deep sleep, often with complete or partial amnesia.

Let's take a look at the causes of sudden death from alcohol poisoning:

1. Aspiration: "A mouthful of food means a life." Drinkers often have a lot of food in their stomachs. When vomiting occurs, the stomach contents can easily enter the airway, causing the patient to suffocate and induce aspiration pneumonia. It can also irritate the trachea and cause reflex cardiac arrest through the vagus nerve reflex. The emergency department found that during cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a large amount of vomitus was often sucked out of the trachea of ​​drunk patients who had died before coming to the hospital, most of which was caused by aspiration. Therefore, for patients with acute alcohol poisoning, preventing aspiration is the "top priority". After being drunk, they must not lie on their backs, and their heads should be tilted to one side to prevent vomitus from entering the trachea.

2. Acute pancreatitis: "One test means a life." Drinking can lead to an attack of acute pancreatitis, produce myocardial inhibitory factors, and cause cardiac arrest. In Western countries, alcoholism is the main cause of acute and chronic pancreatitis. In the United States, 1/2 to 2/3 of acute pancreatitis cases are related to alcohol poisoning each year. Therefore, patients with alcohol poisoning should have serum amylase checked routinely.

3. Cardiac emergency: "One examination means one life." Drinking can induce acute myocardial infarction. Therefore, in the emergency room, patients with alcohol poisoning must have an electrocardiogram, especially the elderly and patients with underlying diseases such as diabetes. Acute myocardial infarction in drowsy drinkers is relatively latent and may not have any symptoms.

We have gained a basic understanding of the knowledge points about alcohol poisoning and the causes of sudden death from alcohol poisoning in the above article. Here, experts recommend that business and entertainment workers can take some hangover pills before drinking, or eat something before drinking, and never drink on an empty stomach. Of course, drinking in moderation is the most important thing. Alcoholics are especially reminded to stay away from alcoholism and care about life.