G Roslund

Dr G Roslund, St Joseph Regional Medical Center, South Bend, IN, USA; groslund@hotmail.com

STUDY DESIGN

Design:

randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Allocation:

concealed.*

Blinding:

blinded (patients, parents, healthcare providers, outcome assessors, and data collectors).*

STUDY QUESTION

Setting:

emergency department (ED) of a hospital in Chicago, USA.

Patients:

106 children 1–10 years of age (mean age 4 y, 56% girls) who had a clinical diagnosis of acute gastritis/gastroenteritis (AGE) with mild or moderate dehydration and failed oral rehydration in the ED. Children who had received an antiemetic agent in <6 hours, had a chronic illness, or were in shock were excluded.

Intervention:

2, 4, or 6 mg ondansetron as orally dissolving tablets (for children weighing <15, 15–30, or >30 kg, respectively) (n = 51) or placebo (n = 55). Oral rehydration was reattempted 30 minutes …