RT Book, Section
A1 Smollin, Craig
A2 Papadakis, Maxine A.
A2 McPhee, Stephen J.
A2 Rabow, Michael W.
A2 McQuaid, Kenneth R.
SR Print(0)
ID 1184179376
T1 Gastrointestinal Decontamination
T2 Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2022
YR 2022
FD 2022
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781264269389
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1184179376
RD 2023/09/28
AB Removal  of  ingested  poisons  by  induced  emesis  or  gastric  lavage  was  a  routine  part  of  emergency  treatment  for  decades.  However,  prospective  randomized  studies  have  failed  to  demonstrate  improved  clinical  outcome  after  gastric  emptying.  For  small  or  moderate  ingestions  of  most  substances,  toxicologists  often  recommend  oral  activated  charcoal  alone  without  prior  gastric  emptying;  in  some  cases,  when  the  interval  after  ingestion  has  been  more  than  1–2  hours  and  the  ingestion  is  non–life-threatening,  even  charcoal  is  withheld  (eg,  if  the  estimated  benefit  is  outweighed  by  the  potential  risk  of  pulmonary  aspiration  of  charcoal).  Exceptions  are  large  ingestions  of  anticholinergic  compounds  and  salicylates,  which  often  delay  gastric  emptying,  and  ingestion  of  sustained-release  or  enteric-coated  tablets,  which  may  remain  intact  for  several  hours.  In  these  cases,  delayed  gut  decontamination  may  be  indicated.