Summary
- Children may ingest a toxic substance accidentally while exploring their environment, or deliberately in response to stress or underlying mental problems, or in an attempt to get 'high'.
- A regional poison-control centre or toxicologist should be contacted with any suspected overdose in a child.
- The range of possible ingestions is broad; diagnosis is based on a combination of thorough clinical assessment and comprehensive laboratory investigation to identify all ingested substances.
- Some asymptomatic patients require observation for 6 hours, or 24 hours for high-risk ingestions.
- The mainstay of management of symptomatic patients is management of airway, breathing, and circulation, with appropriate supportive care. Specific antidotes may also be required.
- If patients present within 1 hour of ingestion, activated charcoal, with or without a cathartic, can be considered provided that it is not contraindicated.
- With prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment, patients have a good outcome. Fatalities are rare.
Other related conditions
- Paracetamol overdose
- Salicylate poisoning
- Organophosphate poisoning
- Overview of substance abuse and overdose
- Digoxin overdose
- Opioid overdose
- Cocaine overdose
- Amfetamine overdose
- Tricyclic antidepressant overdose
- Benzodiazepine overdose
- Common toxic plant ingestions
- Non-diabetic hypoglycaemia
- Assessment of tachycardia
- Status epilepticus
- Assessment of metabolic acidosis
- Assessment of altered mental status
- Volume depletion in children
- Assessment of hypertension
- Assessment of fever of unknown origin in children
- Bradycardia
- Inhalation injury
- Insect bites and stings
- Snakebites
- Acute aspiration
- Acute liver failure
- Acute renal failure
- Alcohol abuse
Last updated: Jan 28, 2013
