Methods of hospital and prehospital gastrointestinal decontamination in children

Abstract

The use of gastrointestinal decontamination (GID) has long been held as a primary tenet in the initial management of a poisoned pediatric patient. Although this approach seems logical, there is a lack of clinical evidence to indicate that GID use changes ultimate clinical outcome. Recent recommendations and guidelines have advised against routine use of any method of GID. With this in mind, the contraindications and safety precautions with each of these techniques deserve emphasized consideration. Recent research has endeavored to find more specific indications for GID in which clear clinical outcomes may be measured. With the removal of ipecac, the hunt for a safe and effective form of GID that can be used at home has also received research interest.