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Use of Activated Charcoal in the Home
Activated charcoal (AC) is the preferred method of gastrointestinal decontamination after many types of toxic ingestions; use generally has been limited to the emergency department (ED). These investigators evaluated 138 consecutive cases in which a Kentucky poison center recommended home administration of AC (a 15-g container) for children. Common indications included ingestion of poisonous mushrooms or excessive ingestion of cough preparations. When no AC was available in the home, the poison center nurse called local pharmacies to locate AC and then referred the parent to the pharmacy.
AC was administered in the home in 115 children (mean age, 3 years) and in the ED in 23 children (mean age, 2.5 years). Reasons for failure to manage children at home were that the mother preferred the ED (8 cases); AC could not be located (7 cases); the pharmacy was closed for the night (6 cases); and there was no home telephone for follow-up (2 cases). Time from ingestion to AC administration was significantly shorter when treatment occurred in the home than when it occurred in the ED (38 vs. 73 minutes). Eight children who were treated at home vomited after ingesting AC, compared with 3 who received treatment in the ED.
Comment: Home administration of AC appears to be both safe and effective. Just as we once had parents administer ipecac at home, it may be reasonable to have parents treat their children with AC. The full text of the original article is available at http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/108/6/e100
— Howard Bauchner, MD
Published in Journal Watch General Medicine December 7, 2001
Citation(s):
Spiller HA and Rodgers Jr GC. Evaluation of administration of activated charcoal in the home. Pediatrics 2001 Dec 108 e100-e100. http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/108/6/e100
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