Effects of interrupting the enterohepatic circulation in amatoxin intoxications.

BACKGROUND: Interruption of the enterohepatic circulation is regarded as an effective way to treat patients with amatoxin poisoning. Nonetheless, its effectiveness has not yet been systematically evaluated. Therefore, we performed a systematic review to investigate the role of enterohepatic circulation on patient outcome and clinical laboratory values. We specifically sought to evaluate the effect of activated charcoal, which absorbs drugs and toxins in the gastrointestinal tract.

METHODS: A previously established database with data extracted from case reports and series from literature, supplemented with recent publications, was used. Patient characteristics, outcome, and laboratory values were evaluated.

RESULTS: We included 133 publications describing a total of 1,119 unique cases. Survival was 75 per cent in the control group ( n  = 452), whereas in the group treated with single or multiple doses of activated charcoal ( n  = 667) survival was 83 per cent ( P  < 0.001, odds ratio 1.89 [95 per cent confidence interval 1.40-2.56]). Furthermore, no difference in peak values of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities were observed, whereas peak values of total serum bilirubin concentration and international normalized ratio were statistically significantly reduced in patients treated with activated charcoal.

DISCUSSION: The ability of activated charcoal to enhance the elimination of amatoxin through interruption of the enterohepatic circulation offers a potentially safe and inexpensive therapy for patients in the post-absorptive phase.

LIMITATIONS: Limitations include the potential for publication bias, the lack of universal confirmation of amatoxin concentrations, and the inability to directly measure enterohepatic circulation of amatoxin.

CONCLUSION: Treatment with activated charcoal in patients with amatoxin poisoning was associated with a greater chance of a successful outcome. Additionally, activated charcoal was associated with a reduction in markers of liver function, but not markers of liver injury.