Activated charcoal to treat acute poisoning

CHARPP (Activated CHARcoal in Poisoned Patient): RCT Pilot Study

This pilot will test whether giving activated charcoal within 6 hours to adults and children who swallowed a substance that charcoal can bind helps prevent worsening toxicity and shortens hospital and ICU stays.

Quick facts

• Phase: PHASE4
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 100 (estimated)
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Laval University (other)
• Locations: 1 site (Québec, Quebec)
• Trial ID: NCT05471479 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This is a randomized, pilot feasibility trial comparing early single-dose activated charcoal versus standard supportive care in people (adults and children) who present within 6 hours after ingesting a carbo-adsorbable toxic substance. Participants are randomly assigned to receive activated charcoal or no charcoal and undergo standard clinical assessments and follow-up. The primary aim is to determine feasibility metrics (recruitment targets and protocol adherence) before launching a larger multicenter RCT, while also collecting preliminary clinical outcomes such as hospital and ICU length of stay and severity of poisoning. Safety and tolerability of activated charcoal will also be tracked.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Adults and children who present to the enrolling hospital within 6 hours after ingesting a substance known or suspected to be adsorbable by activated charcoal and who have no contraindication to charcoal.

Not a fit: Patients who ingested substances not adsorbed by activated charcoal, require other gastrointestinal decontamination methods, have contraindications to charcoal, or present more than 6 hours after ingestion are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, early use of activated charcoal could reduce poisoning severity, shorten hospital and ICU stays, and lower related healthcare costs and complications.

How similar studies have performed: Activated charcoal is widely used and supported by observational data and poison-center practice, but randomized controlled evidence in diverse adult and pediatric populations is limited, so this trial addresses an important evidence gap.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Adult and pediatric patients who presented to the hospital less than 6h after the ingestion of a potentially toxic dose of a carbo-adsorbable substance (substance adsorbed by activated charcoal ).
* Patients who can receive the intervention within 6 hours of proven or suspected intoxication

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients requiring or who will likely require another gastro-intestinal decontamination method;
* Patients who have contraindication to the use of activated charcoal;
* Patients who ingested a substance with an entero-hepatic circulation requiring multi-dose AC;
* Patients who have no clinical equipoise for the use of activated charcoal as per the attending physician.

Where this trial is running

Québec, Quebec

• CHU de Québec - Université Laval — Québec, Quebec, Canada (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Maude St-Onge, MD PhD FRCPC — CHU de Québec - Université Laval
• Study coordinator: Maude St-Onge, MD PhD FRCPC

Conditions: Charcoal, Decontamination, Poisoning, activated charcoal, decontamination, poisoning, intoxication, toxicity, clinical trial, toxicology