Laundry pack exposures in children 0-5 years evaluated at a single pediatric institution

Case reports and poison center series have highlighted increased safety concerns with laundry packs, especially when compared to traditional laundry detergents.

The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical experience with laundry pack exposures at a single institution.

A retrospective chart review was performed for exposures to laundry packs seen at a single tertiary care children's hospital medical center. Cases were identified by searching the poison center database for exposures to laundry products from March 2012 to October 2013 in children <5 years old. Medical records were reviewed for all identified cases. Data collected included demographics, treatments, laboratory and radiology data, disposition, and length of stay in the emergency department (ED).

Forty cases were included. Thirty-two were ingestions and eight were ocular exposures. Nine children were admitted, two of which were admitted to a critical care unit. Seven other children were discharged after 1-night admissions; none received any treatments after initial ED treatment. Of these, four children were admitted for the possibility of central nervous system (CNS) depression, but none showed any progression. Twenty-nine children with ingestions were discharged directly from the ED. No children had progression of CNS symptoms. Children discharged from the ED were observed a mean of 189 min.

Cases of laundry pack exposures seen at our institution were similar to cases described by US poison centers. No child had progression of CNS depression suggesting that prolonged observation is not necessary if the child does not have CNS depression at presentation.