The purpose of this study is to determine if milk and molasses enema or PEG 3350 works better for treatment of fecal impaction in children who are constipated.
Constipation is a common condition in childhood and occurs without evidence of a pathological condition in most children. Symptoms range from decreased appetite to abdominal pain and constipation is frequently diagnosed in children evaluated in emergency departments. A general guideline for constipation treatment is fecal impaction removal before initiation of maintenance therapy. Disimpaction may be achieved using various oral therapies (e.g. including Polyethylene Glycol 3350 or PEG); however, rectal therapies, most commonly enemas, are frequently used, especially in the emergency/urgent care setting. The optimal treatment has not been established. There are no published randomized studies that compare effectiveness of oral versus rectal treatments. Comparison: One milk and molasses enema given to the patient in the emergency department compared to three oral doses of PEG 3350 for relief of symptoms due to fecal impaction and constipation.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
80
PEG 3350 1.5 gram/kg for disimpaction then 0.8 gram/kg for maintenance
enema 10 cc/kg per rectum (max 500 cc)then PEG 3350 0.8 gram/kg for maintenance
Children's Mercy Hospital
Kansas City, Missouri, United States
The Number of Participants With Main Symptom Improvement
On day 5, the number of participants who respond "improved" to the question "Has your child's main symptom improved, stayed the same or gotten worse?"
Time frame: 5 days
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