The use of haemofiltration for severe iron overdose.

A toddler who had ingested a significant amount of ferrous sulphate was admitted to the regional paediatric intensive care unit for supportive treatment. He received gastric lavage, bowel irrigation and intravenous desferrioxamine. He had a very high serum iron level of 700 micromol/l and was commenced on continuous veno-venous haemofiltration. His serum iron levels quickly returned to normal and he made a good recovery, with no permanent sequelae from the ingestion.