Evaluation of the First Stool Pass Time Induced by Marketed Sorbitol in Benzodiazepine Intoxicated Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

ABSTRACT Background: Poisoning, a common worldwide problem, seeks its own treatments to improve, especially by the forthcoming evidence based medicine (EBM). Charcoal/sorbitol slurry (CSS) administration is one of these methods with great debates around it which needs to be investigated more. Methods: In this clinical trial, 105 cases of benzodiazepine toxicity with at least 3 symptoms and no contraindication for sorbitol prescription were divided into 3 groups. Patient grouping was based on the sorbitol manufacturing factory. Sorbitol was prescribed for the patients, with one kind of sorbitol for the patients of each group. The measured variable was the time passed up to the presence of charcoal-mixed stool and the gathered data were analyzed by ANOVA test using SPSS software. Results: The average age was 25.8±8.4 in females and 24±8.5 years for males (P=0.641). The average follow up time was 8.3±3.1 hours for females and 8.1±2.7 hours for males (P=0.30). The average pass time from drug ingestion, was 46±23.15 min in females and 40±23.15 min in males (P=0.132). Interestingly, no sorbitol was able to increase in transit time in the study population despite a follow-up interval about 3 times more than expected (based on the reference). Conclusion: No increase in transit time was seen by sorbitol prescription in our cases despite the appropriate follow-up interval. This ineffectiveness may be somehow due to the absence of standard sorbitol amounts in those products, but we assume that it is mainly due to the population-based bowel habits (i.e. constipated ones with essential prolonged transit time).