Teenage girl paralysed after inhaling fifteen funky balls

Medical workers helping the young patient, whose lower limbs were paralysed. Photo courtesy of Phú Thọ Provincial General Hospital

PHÚ THỌ — A 16-year-old teenager was paralysed and subsequently hospitalised after inhaling fifteen funky balls (N2O balloons) for three days, said the Phú Thọ Province General Hospital on Friday.

The patient from the northern province of Vĩnh Phúc was admitted after feeling weakness in her upper limbs and paralysis in her lower limbs, and was unable to walk after using 15 of the nitrous oxide balls.

After ten days of treatment, the patient showed improvement in clinical symptoms, regained the ability to walk and move, had her numbness reduced and her muscle strength improved. The patient has now stabilised and was discharged from the hospital, continuing on outpatient medication.

According to her medical history, the patient was previously healthy.

Upon hospital admission, she was diagnosed with subacute peripheral nerve damage due to nitrous oxide abuse. The doctors prescribed treatment with nerve conduction enhancers and high doses of vitamin B12.

Lê Thị Bích Thủy, Head of the Department of Neurology and Musculoskeletal, Phú Thọ Province General Hospital, explained that nitrous oxide (N2O) poisoning from prolonged inhalation can lead to subacute neurological degeneration due to the inactivation of vitamin B12, causing long-term and nerve damages that could be irreparable.

Therefore, for patients with symptoms of numbness and paraesthesia in all four limbs, it is crucial to thoroughly investigate the history of N2O abuse, conduct comprehensive clinical and paraclinical examinations, particularly cervical spine MRI and nerve conduction studies, to ensure an accurate diagnosis and maximise the recovery of the patient’s motor function.

Thủy also warned that while N2O may induce temporary euphoria, it has harmful effects on users’ health. These stimulants carry the risk of abuse or dependence, leading to serious neurological, cardiovascular and cerebral issues and in some cases, may even be fatal. — VNS