A medical procedure that involves washing out the stomach contents through a large tube inserted via the mouth or nose. Primarily used in cases of poisoning or drug overdose to remove toxic substances before they can be absorbed.
From Greek 'gaster' meaning 'stomach' combined with French 'lavage' meaning 'washing.' This emergency procedure became standardized in the 19th century as understanding of toxicology advanced and physicians sought ways to rapidly remove poisons from the digestive system.
Gastric lavage was once called 'pumping the stomach,' and it can involve flushing up to 20 liters of saline solution in and out of the stomach! However, it's only effective within the first hour after ingestion because after that, most substances have already moved into the small intestine.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.