Two people nearly died after eating grilled sea cucumbers.

In Quang Ninh, two men, aged 64 and 57, experienced vomiting, difficulty breathing, numbness in their hands and feet, and subsequently fell into a deep coma, their lives in critical danger, after eating grilled sea cucumbers.

On June 10th, Dr. Nguyen The Hung, Head of the Intensive Care Unit at Bai Chay Hospital, stated that both patients received emergency detoxification, intensive care, mechanical ventilation, and gastric lavage for 24 hours. Currently, the patients are out of critical condition, their vital signs are stable, and they are conscious and responsive to doctors' orders. However, they require close monitoring to prevent complications.

Previously, the two patients had eaten grilled sea cucumbers together. After eating, they experienced numbness in the lips and tongue, weakness in the arms and legs, vomiting, and difficulty breathing, with a prognosis of death.

The patient suffering from food poisoning is being closely monitored at the hospital. Photo: Provided by the hospital .

Tetrodotoxin, found in sea cucumbers, is a dangerous toxin, primarily concentrated in the ovaries. This toxin is heat-resistant; boiling, drying, or other heating methods do not eliminate its effects. Therefore, even cooked sea cucumber meat may still contain traces of the toxin.

Sea cucumber toxins have a strong impact on the nervous system, cardiovascular system, and digestive system. After ingestion, patients may experience numbness in the lips, tongue, hands, and feet; paralysis of motor and respiratory muscles; dilated pupils; vomiting; abdominal pain; diarrhea; and potentially cardiac arrhythmias and hypotension. Patients are prone to respiratory failure, cerebral hypoxia, nerve damage, cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, and even rapid death if not treated promptly.

Currently, there is no specific antidote. Doctors recommend that if someone is found to have been poisoned from eating sea cucumbers, they should be quickly taken to the nearest medical facility for prompt emergency treatment.

Sea cucumber. Photo: Wikipedia

Minh An

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