Advances in the critical care of poisoned paediatric patients.

Recent improvements in paediatric intensive care may potentially improve outcome for severely poisoned children. The application of advanced techniques of critical care to the poisoned paediatric patient encompasses a wide variety of therapeutic and technical innovations that are primarily directed towards support of the cardiopulmonary system and removal of toxins. New extracorporeal removal techniques such as continuous arterio-venous haemofiltration have not substantively increased our ability to remove toxins except in rare instances. Exotic techniques such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation remain in the background for use in rare instances only, with little clear data on the relative risks and benefits of applying them.