• Montserrat Amigó-Tadín, Adriana Pané-Vila, and Santiago Nogué-Xarau.
• Área de Urgencias, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, España. Grupo de Investigación "Urgencias: Procesos y patologías", IDIBAPS, Barcelona, España.
• Emergencias. 2020 Jun 1; 32 (3): 185-187.

ObjectivesActivated charcoal in suspension contains 600 mg/mL of sucrose. We aimed to assess the impact of an activated charcoal suspension on blood glucose levels in patients with acute medication poisoning.Material And MethodsWe identified drug patients whose blood glucose levels were measured before and after administration of activated charcoal to treat poisoning. The impact on blood glucose level was compared to changes after breakfast in a control group not receiving treatment for poisoning.ResultsFifty-five poisoned patients were included. Eighty-two percent had higher blood glucose levels after activated charcoal administration. The mean glucose levels before and 1 hour after treatment were 98.2 mg/dL and 124.2 mg/dL, respectively (P<.001). The increase did not translate to adverse clinical events. Glucose levels increased in 82.6% of the 23 patients in the control group. Mean glucose levels before breakfast and 1 hour later were 117.1 mg/dL and 152.0 mg/dL (P<.001).ConclusionActivated charcoal induces an increase in blood glucose level that is statistically but not clinically significant. The increase is comparable to the increase after breakfast.

15 keywords...

hide…