Resumen de Gastric lavage in the person victim of intoxication - scoping review
Laura Morais, Leonor Frias Moya, Maiara Ribeiro, Mariana Nunes, Melani Ramos, Sara Morence, Vera Natividade, Mauro Mota
Introduction: Gastric lavage involves the removal of potentially toxic substances from the stomach before they are systemically absorbed. Despite its widespread use, gastric lavage still lacks consensus among the clinical and scientific community.
Objective: To identify and map the available scientific evidence regarding gastric lavage in individuals suffering from acute poisoning.
Methods: The review followed the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and was conducted according to the PRISMA-ScR checklist. We considered studies involving adult individuals, victims of poisoning, undergoing gastric lavage in intra or extra-hospital settings. Studies in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese were included. Study selection was performed by two independent reviewers, with a third reviewer in case of disagreement.
Results: After the selection process, 10 articles were included. Gastric lavage is performed by instilling 300mL of saline/water through a nasogastric catheter with subsequent removal of all gastric contents. Gastric lavage should be performed within the first hour after poisoning; beyond this time limit, it is not beneficial, except in cases of tricyclic antidepressant poisoning. Other decontamination methods, such as activated charcoal (greater efficacy) and ipecac syrup (similar efficacy), exist.
Conclusion: Gastric lavage has been shown to be a procedure that should be applied in very specific circumstances and should take into account aspects such as the time of contamination, the person and their clinical condition. Other procedures should also be considered, which may be more effective and less risky for the poisoned person.
