Can charcoal speed up poison recovery? new study aims to find out
NCT ID NCT05471479
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This pilot study is testing whether giving activated charcoal within 6 hours of swallowing a poisonous substance can prevent the poison from getting worse and shorten hospital stays. About 100 adults and children who have ingested a substance that charcoal can absorb will be randomly assigned to receive either charcoal or standard care. The study aims to see if this simple treatment can improve outcomes and guide future emergency care.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2025
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult and pediatric patients who presented to the hospital less than 6h after the ingestion of a potentially toxic dose of a carbo-adsorbable substance (substance adsorbed by activated charcoal ). * Patients who can receive the intervention within 6 hours of proven or suspected intoxication Exclusion Criteria: * Patients requiring or who will likely require another gastro-intestinal decontamination method; * Patients who have contraindication to the use of activated charcoal; * Patients who ingested a substance with an entero-hepatic circulation requiring multi-dose AC; * Patients who have no clinical equipoise for the use of activated charcoal as per the attending physician.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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CHU de Québec - Université Laval
RECRUITINGQuébec, Quebec, G1J1Z4, Canada