A mother brings in her 2-year-old who has ingested gasoline 1 hour earlier.What should the nurse implement following the initial assessment?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ingestion of gasoline is considered a medical emergency and can cause severe harm to the body. As such, the best choice in this scenario is to prepare to administer bowel lavage and cathartics. This will involve flushing the patient's system with large amounts of fluid to remove any remaining gasoline from the GI tract. Other interventions, such as syrup of ipecac or turning the patient on their stomach to induce vomiting, are no longer recommended in this situation as they can cause further harm to the patient. Milk of Magnesia may be used in some cases to help promote bowel movements, but it is not the best choice for this specific scenario.

A Mother Brings in Her 2-Year-Old Who Has Ingested Gasoline