After the opening of the fishing season, the supply of seafood is sufficient, and many people have achieved "seafood freedom." Although seafood is delicious, you must pay attention to one thing: be careful not to get stabbed by the seafood.
Pricked by a fish bone
After 3 days, my right hand hurt so much that I couldn’t move it.
Recently, 69-year-old Uncle Qin (pseudonym) was handling tilapia at home when his right palm was accidentally pricked by a fish bone. The wound wasn't big and there wasn't much bleeding. He simply flushed it and didn't take it seriously.
Unexpectedly, three days later, Uncle Qin suddenly developed a high fever, with the highest temperature reaching 39°C. The palm of his right hand was red and swollen, and it spread all the way to the entire arm. There were blisters on the back of the hand, and the pain in his right hand was so painful that he could not move at all.
The family rushed him to a local hospital. The blood draw results showed a significant increase in inflammation indicators, and the doctor suspected "Vibrio vulnificus infection." Even after a few days of antibiotics, the swelling is still there. In desperation, Uncle Qin was transferred to the Department of Infectious Diseases and Critical Care Medicine of Shenzhen Third People's Hospital.
After being admitted to the hospital, the doctor immediately arranged a high-throughput genetic test for pathogenic microorganisms for Uncle Qin, and the result was Vibrio vulnificus.
Vibrio vulnificus is known as the "ocean killer" and is often found in seafood. It is understood that tilapia itself is a euryhaline fish. Many breeding ponds are close to coastal estuaries. The water itself contains Vibrio vulnificus, and the fish will naturally be attached.
Wang Fuxiang, chief physician of the first ward of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Critical Care Medicine of Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, said that this bacteria is highly toxic and progresses quickly. After entering the human body through wounds, it may cause necrotizing fasciitis, septic shock in a short period of time, severe cases requiring amputation, and even life-threatening.
After Uncle Qin was admitted to the hospital, he was accurately fighting infection while preparing for surgery. After 16 days of treatment, Uncle Qin's body temperature returned to normal, the redness and swelling in his right hand subsided little by little, various inflammatory indicators dropped significantly, and blood culture also turned negative. Uncle Qin was successfully discharged from the hospital and went home to continue dressing and recovery.
doctor reminder
Be sure to wear gloves
Doctors remind that Vibrio vulnificus is commonly known as the "ruthless killer in the ocean". It often parasitizes in marine organisms such as fish, shrimps, crabs, and shellfish. It prefers warm salt water environments. It has an insidious onset, rapid progression, and extremely high fatality rate. If standard treatment is not received within 48 hours after infection, the mortality rate exceeds 50%, and the mortality rate without intervention within 72 hours is close to 100%. Citizens need to be highly vigilant about potential risks in daily handling of seafood.
When handling seafood on a daily basis, keep these points in mind:
Wear gloves when handling seafood
When you have wounds on your hands, never come into direct contact with seawater or seafood.
Treat an injury immediately
Rinse with water, squeeze the blood from the proximal end to the distal end of the heart, apply iodine for disinfection, and go to the hospital as soon as possible.
Don't touch the sea water if you have a wound
When you have wounds on your hands, do not go into the sea or directly come into contact with seawater and seafood.
Seek medical attention immediately if these signs appear
The wound is red, swollen, hot, painful, and spreads rapidly, with fever, chills, and blisters. When seeing a doctor, you must take the initiative to tell the doctor that you have been injured by seafood. This sentence can help the doctor quickly identify the cause of the disease and gain time for treatment.
Be very careful with these types of people
Patients with chronic liver disease, diabetes, tumors, people taking immunosuppressants for a long time, and the elderly are more likely to develop severe infections after infection.
If you are accidentally stabbed by seafood
Treat wounds correctly
If the wound is shallow, squeeze out the surface blood in time, rinse the wound under running water for 5 minutes, and disinfect the wound;
If the wound is deep, you need immediate medical attention after basic treatment.
