Pediatr Emerg Care. 1995 Apr; 11(2): 109-11.

Baking soda: a potentially fatal home remedy.

Nichols MH, Wason S, Gonzalez del Rey J, Benfield M.

Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.

We present a case of a six-week-old infant who developed life-threatening complications after unintentional sodium bicarbonate intoxication. Baking soda was being used by the mother as a home remedy to "help the baby burp." A review of the literature regarding the use (or misuse) of baking soda follows. Our patient, along with the other noted case reports, emphasizes the need for warnings on baking soda products whose labels recommend its use as an antacid. Poisonings must be high in the differential diagnosis of any patient, regardless of age, who presents with altered mental status or status epilepticus.