The Illinois Poison Center – Literally a “SPI’s Nest” of Activity

No, the Illinois Poison Center (IPC) is not a clandestine arm of the CIA, FBI, or KGB. However, it is staffed by a team of well qualified “SPIs” around the clock.  So, what exactly is a SPI you ask? Read more »

“My Child Ate…Poop!”

Welcome to the IPC’s second installment of the “my child ate…” blog series.  Last week Mike explored the dangers of prescription medications, and this week I am going to talk about stuff kids eat that is really, really gross.   Like poop, for example.  Do kids really eat poop, you may ask?  They sure do.  All shapes, sizes and species.  I can even give you a ranking of the most common poop calls we get:

1.  Human

Most of the time, for babies, this is in the form of their own poop.  It is the most common poop call because, well… it’s the most accessible—it comes right out of them! Read more »

Coming Soon to a Pharmacy Near You…

New Pediatric Acetaminophen Dosing Guidelines and Formulation Changes

If you are in tune to healthcare and medical news stories, you probably already know that overdosing or chronically using too much of the popular non-aspirin product called acetaminophen may cause serious and possibly even fatal liver damage.  Read more »

7pm-8pm (19 calls)

1. A child ingested several mouthfuls of bathwater that had Mr Bubbles® in it.
2. A 4 year old inadvertently brushed his teeth with Bengay® muscle rub instead of toothpaste. Read more »

1pm-2pm (15 calls)

1. A 9 month old child ingested up to a mouthful of Balmex® diaper cream.
2. A 2 year old child ingested a swig of rubbing alcohol. Read more »

9am-10am (10 calls)

1. A 3 year old child ingested an entire roll of Rolaids.®
2. An 18 month old child was found sucking on the wick of a oil-based plug-in air freshener. Read more »

8am-9am (6 calls)

1. A 14 month old child took a bite out of his mother’s deodorant stick.  Mom was able to remove most of the material from his mouth but he swallowed some.
2. A 2 year old child ingested an unknown amount of gummy vitamins. Read more »

7am-8am (6 calls)

1. An 11 month old child was playing with the tube of Desitin® diaper cream while his father changed his diaper.  He bit into the tube and ingested a mouthful of the cream.
2. A mom called because she accidentally gave her 2 month old her other child’s heart medication. Read more »

Midnight-7am (35 calls)

Midnight to 7am

1. A 3 year old woke up in the middle of the night and went to play in a closet while his parents were asleep.  He tipped mango scented laundry soap up to mouth , ingested some and spilled it on his face.
2. A 20 year old woman was depressed and took a handful of ibuprofen.
3. An emergency room called requesting advice Read more »