Poisoning, overdose and snakebite — emergency ambulance
Airway control, continuous monitoring and antidotes under protocol — routed to a hospital that actually stocks what this patient needs.
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While the ambulance is on its way
- 1
Call now. Say what, how much, and when.
The substance, the approximate amount, the time it happened, and the person's age. For a bite, say where on the body and how long ago. Say it plainly — nobody on our desk is here to judge anyone.
- 2
Do not make them vomit. Give nothing to drink.
No salt water, no milk, no oil, no ghee, no home remedy, and nothing to induce vomiting unless the dispatcher specifically tells you to. Several common remedies make the damage worse and can flood the lungs. If they are drowsy or vomiting, turn them onto their side.
- 3
Keep them still. Bring the evidence.
For a snakebite: keep the person calm and still, immobilise the limb like a fracture and keep it below heart level, and remove rings, bangles and anything tight. Never cut, suck, burn, ice or tie a tourniquet, and never chase the snake — photograph it only from a safe distance. For poisoning, put the container, strip, bottle or plant in a bag and bring it.
Call immediately if you see any of these
- —Drowsy, confused, or difficult to wake
- —Seizures or twitching
- —Difficulty breathing, or very slow breathing
- —Drooping eyelids, double vision, or difficulty swallowing after a bite
- —Bleeding gums, or bleeding that will not stop
- —Vomiting blood, or burns around the mouth
- —Pinpoint pupils, or a chemical or pesticide smell
- —Swelling spreading up a bitten limb
Do not drive the patient yourself if an ambulance is on the way. A moving ambulance can begin treatment; a private car cannot.
What arrives when you call
Advanced airway management
Suction, oxygen and advanced airway equipment. In poisoning and envenomation the airway is what kills first — through aspiration of vomit, or through paralysis of the breathing muscles — and it is secured early rather than watched.
Continuous cardiac monitoring
Many poisons and some venoms affect heart rhythm. Monitoring runs from the moment the crew reaches the patient, not from arrival at the hospital.
Antidotes carried under protocol
Where the substance is identified and protocol allows, the appropriate antidote is given en route — for organophosphate pesticide exposure and opioid overdose in particular, minutes matter and the treatment is carried on board.
Ventilatory support
Assisted ventilation on the ICU-class vehicle for neuroparalytic envenomation and severe poisoning, where the patient stops breathing effectively long before anything else fails.
IV access, fluids and glucose testing
Large-bore access, fluids and blood glucose checked as standard — low blood sugar mimics and complicates poisoning, and it is treatable on the spot.
From your door to the hospital bed
Assigned in 60 seconds
The vehicle is matched to what was described on the call, and the desk begins identifying a receiving hospital in parallel rather than afterwards.
The destination is chosen for what it stocks
For snakebite this is the whole game. The nearest hospital often does not hold antivenom, and antivenom is given where anaphylaxis can be managed. We confirm a hospital that has it and can use it before we commit to a route — that single decision is worth more than any speed on the road.
Decontamination where it applies
For pesticide and chemical exposure, contaminated clothing is removed and the patient decontaminated before loading, with the crew protected. A sealed cabin concentrates the exposure otherwise.
Pre-alert with the substance and the timing
What was taken or which bite, how much, when, what has been given, and the container itself travelling with the patient. The receiving team can prepare treatment before arrival only if it knows all four.
Bed-to-bed handover, with the formalities handled
Handover completed at the bed and documented. Poisoning and bite cases are medico-legal in India, and our crew helps the family through that paperwork rather than leaving them to face it alone.
Poisoning, Overdose and Snakebite
Questions people ask on the call
Should we make the person vomit?
No — not unless the dispatcher specifically tells you to. Inducing vomiting can burn the throat a second time with corrosives, and can flood the lungs in someone who is drowsy. Milk, salt water, oil and ghee are not antidotes, and giving them wastes the minutes that matter.
Should we tie a tourniquet after a snakebite?
No. Tourniquets, cutting, suction, ice and herbal pastes all cause additional harm and none of them removes venom. Keep the person calm and still, immobilise the limb like a fracture, remove anything tight, and get them to a hospital that stocks antivenom.
Should we catch or kill the snake?
Never. People are bitten a second time doing exactly this. A photograph taken from a safe distance helps, but treatment in India does not depend on identifying the species — the clinical picture guides it, so do not delay leaving for the hospital in order to find the snake.
Will the police get involved?
Poisoning and bite cases are registered as medico-legal, so a report is made. That is routine paperwork, not an accusation, and hospitals handle it every day. Fear of it is the single most common reason families delay a call — and that delay costs far more than the formality ever does.
What should we bring with us?
The container, strip, bottle, packet or plant, and any vomit if it can be collected safely. Also the person's regular medicines and any recent prescriptions. Identifying the substance quickly changes the treatment.
Is the fare higher for a night emergency?
No. The published rate for the vehicle class and distance applies at every hour, the total is stated on the call, and the receipt itemises what was charged.
Available in the cities we serve
This page is for arranging emergency transport. It is not medical advice, and it does not replace the instructions of a doctor, a poison control centre or an emergency dispatcher.