Life scene record | Why do accidents always happen in the toilet?

The bathroom at home has always been a place where emergencies frequently occur, but it is also easily overlooked by us.

Emergency situations such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular emergencies, accidental slips and falls, poisoning, electric shocks, etc. are very common in the bathroom, especially for the elderly.

1. Straining during bowel movements can cause heart problems

Wang Lixiang, chief physician of the Department of Cardiology at the Third Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, published an article in Health Times in 2018, saying that many middle-aged and elderly people have difficulty defecating. When they strain to defecate, their intra-abdominal pressure increases and their blood pressure rises rapidly, even doubling compared to usual. This increases the burden on the heart and can induce myocardial infarction.

This kind of thing does happen in real life. In 2008, the famous crosstalk artist Ma Ji died of a sudden myocardial infarction while using the toilet at the age of 72. When the emergency personnel arrived, Mr. Ma was sitting on the toilet and had no pulse.

2. Be careful not to faint if you urinate too quickly

Urinating can also cause fainting, mainly for two reasons. Du Junbao, chief physician of pediatrics at Peking University First Hospital, explained in an interview with Health Times in 2015:

▶When you get up to urinate at night, your body position changes from lying down to standing up. Due to gravity, blood flows downward, and the brain is prone to insufficient blood supply;

▶After urination, the bladder is no longer full and the intra-abdominal pressure suddenly decreases. This sudden change activates the autonomic nervous system, which dilates blood vessels through reflex, making it difficult for blood flow to reach the brain. ②

At this time, the human body faints.

Some elderly people are reluctant to urinate in the middle of the night, and they feel the urge to urinate in the morning. If they get up in a hurry to urinate, it is easy to cause problems. It is recommended to urinate as slowly as possible, not too hard or too fast, and hold on to something when standing up or squatting. ③

3. Wet and slippery ground, causing fractures

He Zhongjie, chief physician of the Fourth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, said in an interview with Health Times in 2015 that more than half of the falls among people over 65 years old occurred at home. The most common ones are slips and falls in the bathroom, or when standing up or squatting in the toilet, or even when getting up.

Falling is the leading cause of injury-related death among people over 65 years old. Fractures caused by falls and lung infections caused by bedridden elderly people are all high-risk events that lead to death in the elderly.

For the elderly who like to get up at night, you can clean the toilet corridor before going to bed at night and install a low-brightness light in the bathroom to illuminate it.

4. The temperature of the shower changes greatly, which can damage the cardiovascular system

Winter is cold, and the indoor temperature is also relatively low without heating. When taking a bath, the low temperature of the environment and the change of water temperature during bathing will cause the blood vessels to suddenly expand sharply. For people with poor heart, the blood pressure changes sharply, which may cause fainting during bathing. ⑤⑥

Therefore, we should actively ensure the temperature is constant, such as:

1. Before taking a shower, raise the room temperature a little and turn on the air conditioner, heater or bathroom heater.

2. Drink a cup of hot water before and after taking a bath. This can prevent the loss of body fluids during bathing and help keep the body warm.

5. Possible sudden electric shock

Tragic incidents of people being electrocuted to death while bathing have indeed occurred.

Therefore, you must buy an electric water heater of qualified quality. The life of an electric water heater is generally about 8 years. You should pay attention to regular maintenance, and it is best to clean the scale once every 1-2 years.

In addition, bathroom heaters can also cause explosions and injuries. Some products are of poor quality, have confusing circuits, and the heating bulbs are not explosion-proof at all. Buy quality bathroom heaters through formal channels, and avoid letting bath water directly pour on the bathroom heater bulbs when using them.

6. Risk of carbon monoxide poisoning or hypoxia

Poisoning caused by using gas water heaters occurs every year.

This situation often occurs because of the use of direct-discharge water heaters. Because direct-discharge water heaters do not have air intake and exhaust devices, natural air intake, exhaust, oxygen extraction and exhaust are all indoors, which can easily cause oxygen deficiency in the bathroom and excessive exhaust gas concentration.

At present, the country has long banned the production and sale of direct-discharge water heaters, and what you buy on the market now are basically second-hand refurbished products and counterfeit products from small factories.

7. Improper use of detergents leads to poisoning

The bathroom is a place that every family needs to pay attention to cleaning, but improper use of cleaning agents can also cause harm. For example, mixing toilet cleaners with 84 disinfectants will produce chlorine gas, which is irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract, and can cause breathing difficulties, pulmonary edema, and even life-threatening.

In 2014, Beijing Morning Post reported that a cleaning company employee in Chaoyang District, Beijing, poured toilet cleaner into a 5-liter bucket containing residual 84 disinfectant. The bucket was knocked over and the liquid spilled onto the ground. In the end, 17 workers developed discomfort and were sent to the hospital for treatment, of which 3 suffered respiratory burns from the gas. This shows its power.

Therefore, do not mix 84 disinfectant with other detergents or disinfectants, especially toilet cleaners. Moreover, the concentration of 84 disinfectant should be reasonably configured according to the instructions, and it should be diluted with cold water, not hot water. If you use 84 disinfectant to mop the floor, etc., keep the air ventilated until the smell in the air completely dissipates.

There are safety numbers for using the toilet!

1. Remember to take 3 30-second breaks when you get up to go to the bathroom

If you go to the toilet at night or in the morning, it is recommended to follow the "30-second rule" when getting up: wait 30 seconds after waking up before getting up, sit on the edge of the bed for 30 seconds before standing up, and stand for 30 seconds before walking. This is to prevent fainting.

2. Men use one posture when urinating

It is recommended that men also use the squatting position when urinating at home.

Chen Shanwen, deputy chief physician of the Urology Department of Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, published an article in Health Times in 2018, saying that elderly men usually have more nocturia due to prostate hyperplasia and have the habit of getting up at night to urinate, which may cause urination syncope. In order to avoid the possibility of adverse events, they should try to urinate in a squatting position.⑧

2. Defecation lasts 5-10 minutes

It is best to control the toilet time within 5-10 minutes each time. If you still haven't defecated after more than 10 minutes, don't force it.

The elderly have slow intestinal motility and if it is difficult for them to resolve within 10 minutes, they can stand up and then sit down to separate the time intervals. They must not squat for half an hour at a time.

3. The best bath water temperature is around 40℃

Don't use too hot water when bathing. If the water is too hot, the capillaries will dilate, blood flow will speed up, and the risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, etc. will increase.

When bathing, the water temperature should be controlled at 39~41℃ and the time should be controlled at 10~20 minutes.

4. Ventilate the bathroom 2-3 times a day

Bathrooms with windows should be ventilated 2-3 times a day, each time for 15-30 minutes. After bathing, the windows should be opened or the exhaust fan should be turned on for ventilation.

For bathrooms without windows, a well-functioning exhaust fan should also be installed, or the door should be opened for ventilation.

5. Prepare a non-slip floor mat

If there are elderly people at home, it is best to prepare non-slip mats in the bathroom.

6. Do not use direct-discharge water heaters

There are three types of gas water heaters on the market: direct discharge, forced discharge, and balanced. Direct discharge has been banned from production and sale. Be careful not to use this type of water heater.

In addition, the forced exhaust water heater only forcibly discharges the exhaust gas produced by combustion outside the shower room, but the oxygen consumed by its combustion is still taken directly from the room, so over time, there will still be a lack of oxygen. Pay attention to bathing time and indoor ventilation.

A balanced water heater is the most ideal because it uses outdoor air for combustion, does not consume indoor oxygen, and the exhaust gas is forced to be discharged outdoors.

7. Bathing also has a sequence

It is recommended to wash your face first, then your limbs, then your body, and finally your hair. ⑤

In winter, when people take off their clothes, due to the cold, the body will shrink and concentrate the blood in the internal organs and brain. If you rinse the brain with hot water at this time, the blood in the brain will suddenly circulate, which will increase the blood circulation pressure in the brain and cause problems.

This article is compiled from:

① 2018-03-09 Health Times "The Ten Darkest Moments of High Incidence of Myocardial Infarction"

② 2015-10-22 Health Times "Some people faint when peeing"

③ 2017-04-18 Health Times "Health comes from "slowness""

④ 2015-07-27 Health Times: "Half of the elderly who fall are at home"

⑤ 2019-11-15 Health Times "Elderly people should be careful of accidents when bathing in winter"

⑥ 2014-01-09 Health Times "Old people take a quick bath"

⑦ 2020-12-22 Shenzhen Health Commission (ID: szwjwwx) "20 people poisoned, 13 in the shower! Shenzhen winter "bathroom bomb" is coming again"

⑧ 2018-11-30 Health Times: "Old men are better off squatting when urinating"

⑨ 2019-01-04 Health Times "Fall prevention home settings require attention"