An 18 month old female is brought to the emergency department by her mother. She has been suffering from repeated vomiting and diarrhoea for the past 24 hours. Over the past eight hours she has vomited approximately 12 times. The vomitus has not contained any bile or blood. The little girl appears mildly dehydrated. Her stool tests positive for rotavirus. You wonder whether administration of an antiemetic may lessen her symptoms and increase the likelihood that oral rehydration therapy will be successful.

Structured clinical question

In an 18 month old girl with rotavirus gastroenteritis [patient], does the administration of antiemetic medication [intervention] decrease vomiting and increase the likelihood that oral rehydration therapy will be successful [outcome]?

Search strategy and outcome

Secondary sources: none.

Medline 1966–July, 2004 using OVID interface: ondansetron OR promethazine OR metoclopramide OR antiemetics AND exp rotavirus infections OR exp Norwalk virus OR exp gastroenteritis OR exp enteritis OR exp transmissible gastroenteritis virus OR exp rotavirus

Limits: human, English language, all infant …