Whole bowel irrigation? Don’t just do something, stand there!

3.5 out of 5 stars Position paper update: Whole bowel irrigation for gastrointestinal decontamination of overdose patients. Thanacoody R et al. Clin Toxicol 2015 Jan;53:5-12. Abstract In 1997 the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology (AACT) and the Euroopean Association of Poisons Centre and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT) published a position paper regarding the use of whole bowel irrigation (WBI) for gastrointestinal decontamination in the poisoned patient. The key conclusions were that no evidence existed showing that WBI improved clinical outcome, and that it should not be used routinely but “may be considered for potentially toxic ingestions of sustained-release or enteric-coated drugs.”  In 2004, those same groups produced a revised position paper based on examination of more recent medical publications. The authors concluded that no new evidence had appeared requiring change in the original recommendations. This present paper looked at evidence published since 2003, and again found that there is “no new evidence that would require a major revision of the conclusions of the 2004 position statement.” the money paragraph: At present, the evidence supporting WBI as a beneficial treatment for poisoned patients is weak and clinical studies are yet to show that WBI improves outcomes. Until methodologically sound clinical studies are published demonstrating or excluding that WBI hastens clinical recover rates or improves patient outcomes, the conc...
Source: The Poison Review - Category: Toxicology Authors: Tags: Medical gastrointestinal decontamination overdose poisoning polyethylene glycol position paper whole bowel irrigation Source Type: news