Trends in ipecac use: a survey of poison center staff

The steady decline in syrup of ipecac used by poisoned victims from a peak of 15% in 1985 to 2.3% in 1995 is of concern. A survey compared syrup of ipecac use by CSPI, ABAT, and ABMT/ACMT members as the first response decontamination. The survey asked CSPI, ABAT, and ABMT/ACMT members their professional opinion on the use of syrup of ipecac in a potentially toxic ingestion. The scenario was "Your 2-y-old child/grandchild accidentally ingested a potentially lethal dose of poison (i.e. colchicine) 5 min ago and you have syrup of ipecac at home. Would you consider using it?" Of the 171 CSPI's who responded, 34.5% favored the use of syrup of ipecac while 63% were against and 2.3% needed more information. Of the 26 ABAT's who responded, 50% favored it's use, 42.3% would not and 7.6% needed more information. From the 55 ABMT/ACMT members who responded, 81.8% would use ipecac while 18.1% would not. ABMT/ACMT members favored the use of syrup of ipecac in this scenario (P < 0.005), while the CSPI's did not (P < 0.005), and the ABAT's did not have statistical difference. With CSPI's providing the treatment recommendations from poison centers, it is important that ABMT/ACMT members influence the recommended treatment protocols.