Life-threatening electrolyte disturbances from a commonly prescribed drug – sodium phosphate based enema

CASE REPORTS

Year : October-December 2018 | Volume : 15 | Issue : 4

DOI : 10.7199/ped.oncall.2018.48

Life-threatening electrolyte disturbances from a commonly prescribed drug – Sodium phosphate based enema

Catherine Wong, Wing Lum Cheung, Shirley Man Yee Wong, Winnie Kwai Yu Chan.
Department of Paediatrics, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong.

Abstract

Laxatives are commonly used medication in patients of all age groups. Sodium phosphate based enema is one of them. While they are often prescribed, medical practitioners may not be familiar with the content of them and their related potential toxicity. We report a case of life threatening toxicity in a young child without underlying renal disease after she was given repeated doses of sodium phosphate enema, and discuss about the acute management of phosphate-containing laxatives toxicity, as well as the growing concern for safety of this kind of medication.

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Authors

Catherine Wong
[Google Scholar] [Pubmed]
Wing Lum Cheung
[Google Scholar] [Pubmed]
Shirley Man Yee Wong
[Google Scholar] [Pubmed]
Winnie Kwai Yu Chan
[Google Scholar] [Pubmed]

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Cite this article as

Wong C, Cheung W L, Wong S M Y, Chan W K Y. Life-threatening electrolyte disturbances from a commonly prescribed drug – Sodium phosphate based enema. Pediatr Oncall J. 2018;15: 106-109. doi: 10.7199/ped.oncall.2018.48