Antiemetics for Acute Gastroenteritis
Abstract
Antiemetics for Acute Gastroenteritis: A Never Ending Story. Freedman SB, Adler M, Seshadri R, Powell EC. Oral ondansetron for gastroenteritis in a pediatric emergency department. N Engl J Med. 2006;354:1698-1705. Summary: A single oral dose of ondansetron may be beneficial for the treatment of vomiting associated with acute gastroenteritis in children in the emergency department (ED), according to the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the April 20, 2006 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (1). Inclusion criteria were age of 6 months to 10 years, at least 1 episode of diarrhea and mild-to-moderate dehydration with at least 1 episode of nonbilious, nonbloody vomiting in 4 hours. Exclusion criteria were body weight of less than 8 kg, severe dehydration, underlying disease and hypersensitivity to ondansetron. The primary outcome was the proportion of children who vomited while receiving oral rehydration solution. Secondary outcomes were the number of vomiting episodes during oral rehydration and rates of intravenous rehydration and hospitalization. Overall, 108 children were assigned to ondansetron and 107 to placebo. A single orally disintegrating tablet (ondansetron or placebo) was administered. Therefore, oral rehydration proceeded for 1 hour with 30 mL or given every 5 minutes. Children who vomited within 15 minutes after tablet administration were given a second dose. After oral administration, the treating physician…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 490 participants or records.
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