Man saved with a vodka drip
Jeanne:
October 12th, 2007
Just when you thought medical marvels couldn’t get any stranger, here’s another report to startle and amuse you. Doctors in Australia recently saved the life of an Italian tourist by feeding him vodka through an intravenous drip. This followed a failed attempt by the 24 year-old to commit suicide by poisoning himself. The treatment was carried out whilst the patient was in a coma. Having run out of medical alcohol – an effective antidote to the poison, the doctors had to resort to using concentrated vodka in an attempt to save the patient.
According to Dr. Todd Frasier of hospital in the Queensland hospital:
The patient was drip-fed 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. By the time he woke up I think his hangover would have well and truly gone.
The patient was hospitalized for 20 days following the incident and is currently receiving counseling. Whilst the actions of the doctors have been praised, however, some critics have pointed out that the hospital shouldn’t have run out of medical alcohol in the first place. Nevertheless, it goes without saying that the doctors involved deserve to be praised for their willingness to innovate and adapt to difficult situations.