The poisoned child in the pediatric intensive care unit

Acutely poisoned children remain a common problem facing pediatricians working in acute care medicine in the United States and worldwide. The management of such children continues to be challenging, and their care has evolved throughout the years. The concept of gastric decontamination in acute poisoning has significantly changed over the past 10 years, and many of the previously used techniques have been abandoned or fallen out of favor for lack of evidence to their benefit or unacceptable serious risks and side effects. Supportive care continues to be the cornerstone in managing most poisoned children. Only a few patients benefit from antidotes or specific interventions.