Abstract

Objective: To assess the effect of oral ondansetron on gastrointestinal transit time in acute gastroenteritis and to compare the efficacy of ORS alone and in combination with oral ondansetron in improving oral rehydration in acute gastroenteritis.
Methodology: This comparative analytic study was conducted at Army Medical College in collaboration with pediatric department of Military Hospital, Rawalpindi from January to November 2017. The study included 210 children of age 2-5 years with clinical diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis with mild to moderate dehydration and with at least two episodes of non-bloody loose stools and abdominal pain. All children were randomized into three equal groups with 70 children in each group. Group 1 received only ORS for rehydration, Group 2 received oral ondansetron as single dose at the time of enrollment and after an interval of 30 minutes, ORT was started as per WHO guidelines and Group 3 received ORS for first 30 minutes and then oral ondansetron. Clinical characteristics were assessed before and after four hours of treatment. Children were assessed after every 30 minutes for the first four hours for the number of episodes of loose stools and abdominal pain.
Results: A significant difference in frequency of stools and abdominal pain was observed between the three groups (p

Key words: Abdominal pain, acute gastroenteritis, gastrointestinal transit time, ondansetron.