 Its common administration for toxic ingestions has been largely replaced with that of activated charcoal.Whole bowel irrigation is sometimes used prior to colonoscopy, bowel surgery, other abdominal/pelvic surgery, or a barium enema examination, to cleanse the intestines, enhancing visibility of the intestines' inner surfaces, preventing complications from occurring as a result of spillage of bowel contents into the abdominal cavity, and potentially providing other benefits depending on the type of procedure being performed.Whole bowel irrigation is also used in certain poisoning situations.