FIGURES
Syrup of Ipecac UseBond GR: Home Syrup of Ipecac Use Does Not Reduce Emergency Department Use or Improve Outcome. Pediatrics 2003;112(5):1061-1064.
When the first poison control centers opened 50 years ago, health care workers recommended syrup of ipecac for home management to save lives and reduce health care expenses by elimanating emergency department (ED) use. Researchers are now questioning ipecac's usefulness. This study reviewed data from 64 poison centers over a 2-year period, comparing emergency referral recommendation rate, actual ED use, actual home use of syrup of ipecac, and outcomes.
The results suggest that syrup of ipecac selectively administered at home will not improve outcomes or reduce ED visits. In the last 15 years, the administration of ipecac has fallen from 13.3% to 0.7% of all exposures. More children are managed at home without any intervention, child-resistant packaging has reduced the number of poisonings, and EDs are using less ipecac and more activated charcoal. While ED visits for poisoning have decreased, further reduction in visits are more likely to come from successful management strategies rather than focused use of syrup of ipecac.