Re: [ozmidwifery] gastric washes

[Emily]

Hi Sue,

i too searched in medline and there is only one article - that was put up before - on gastric lavage in bubs possible showing that this is not a widespread practice.

here is some other info on lavage in drug OD that isnt direclty related but interesting and some of the info could be paralleled in mec-cases. eg that very little of the drug (or mec) is actually retrieved and it needs to be done within 1 hour of ingestion.. as well as the discomfort caused in someones first day of life! which i think is significant

 

Gastric lavage

...lavage can retrieve drugs, either whole or in fragments. However, controlled studies indicate that the amount of the ingested drug retrieved is, on average, very small and varies widely, and that lavage probably does not alter the clinical course of the patient. The procedure is time consuming, labor intensive, very uncomfortable for the patient, and carries a real risk of aspiration. However, in certain situations, any amount of drug retrieved may be clinically beneficial.

Conclusion: Most clinical toxicologists agree that lavage should be performed only when a patient has ingested a large amount of a potentially dangerous drug (eg, a calcium channel blocker, a tricyclic antidepressant, or a [beta]-blocker) and comes to the emergency department within an hour of ingestion.

i hope that your placement improves some :)

Emily

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