Aussie doctors said they plugged a poisoned Italian tourist into a vodka drip after running out of the medicinal alcohol they would normally have used to save his life. Hair of the dog?The 24 year old Italian was diagnosed as having ingested a large quantity of ethylene glycol, a common ingredient in antifreeze. Pure alcohol is often given in treating such cases because it can inhibit the toxic effects of ethylene glycol, and when the pharmaceutical-grade alcohol supply at the hospital ran out they switched to a vodka cocktail via nasogastric tube.
"The patient was drip-fed about three standard drinks an hour for three days in the intensive care unit," doctors said. "The hospital's administrators were also very understanding when we explained our reasons for buying a case of vodka." The patient made a successful recovery, but was pretty trashed after those three days.
The incident occurred about two months ago, though the hospital just released information on the case - likely since students are back in school and will now be inspired to try their own alcohol drips.
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