Antidotes: Familiar Friends and New Approaches for the Treatment of Select Pediatric Toxicological Exposures

Drug overdoses and therapeutic misadventures, whether intentional or inadvertent, are a common cause of presentation to pediatric emergency departments. Timely administration of antidotes is often an important component of treatment for these patients, and in many cases, this can be life-saving. Because randomized control trials are very difficult to perform in the realm of medical toxicology, there is often a paucity of information regarding efficacy and best use of antidotes, and it is important to continually examine the literature for new data and evidence. We review the current evidence and indications for some newer antidotes and therapies for selected common pediatric poisonings, as well as recent data regarding use of a well-known and commonly used antidote.