Pediatric rapid fluid resuscitation

Outcomes and predictors of early emergency department discharge among children with acute gastroenteritis and moderate dehydration

Background

Gastroenteritis is one of the most common diseases that affects children and remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. There is conflicting evidence regarding the effect of rapid intravenous fluid regimen on the clinical outcome of patients with acute gastroenteritis. This study aimed to assess the current practice of intravenous hydration on the clinical outcomes of pediatric patients with acute gastroenteritis and determine the predictive factors for early discharge and emergency department (ED) revisit.

Methods

A cohort study was carried out among children aged from 1 month to 14 years who presented to the ED in a tertiary care hospital between September 2015 and September 2017. Children diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis and moderate dehydration who require intravenous hydration were included in the study. The patients were followed up until discharge from ED, admission to the hospital or revisit to the ED. Collected variables were demographics, presenting symptoms, biochemical marker, amount of intravenous fluid (IVF) received and prescription of anti-emetics. Descriptive statistics were summarized as mean, standard deviation for continuous variables and proportions for categorical variables. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors.

Results

Out of 284 patients, 148 (52%) were males, 20 (7%) were infants, 80 (28%) were toddlers, 90 (32%) were in preschool, 88 (31%) were in school and 6 (2.1%) were adolescents. No significant difference was observed in the admission rate, discharge within 12 h or less and ED revisits for those who received IVF ≥40 ml/kg as compared to those who received <40 ml/kg. Patients with bicarbonate level closer to normal are more likely to be discharged after 4 h (odds ratio (OR) 1.2 and 95% CI 1.12–1.43). Patients presenting only with vomiting/diarrhoea were less likely to revisit ED (OR 0.33 (95% CI 0.143 - 0.776), while patients with an increase in CO₂ level (OR 1.19 and 95% CI 1.0 -1.436) and anion gap (OR 1.29 and 95% CI 1.08–1.54) were more likely to revisit within 1 week post discharge.

Conclusion

This study did not show any additional benefits of receiving IVF ≥ 40 ml/kg over 4 h neither in early discharge nor in reducing the ED revisit. CO₂ closer to normal was a significant predictor for early discharge in 4 h where the closer level of CO₂ and AGAP were associated with an increase in the chance of a revisit to the ED within 1 week after discharge.

Epidemiology and effects of fluid bolus administration in the paediatric emergency department

OBJECTIVE

Fluid bolus therapy (FBT) is recommended as the initial form of acute circulatory support for many disease processes. The epidemiology of its use in the ED is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess indications, use patterns and short-term effects of FBT in a paediatric ED.

METHODS

Retrospective observational study in the ED of the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia (annual census >90 000) using hospital electronic medical record data for all patients who received an i.v. fluid bolus in the ED over the calendar year 2018 were included in the study. We extracted demographics, indications, volume, content of FBT as well as subsequent vital sign and biochemical changes.

RESULTS

One thousand five hundred and thirty-nine fluid boluses were administered to 1343/90 000 children (1.5%), 1185 received 1, 123 received 2, 32 received 3, and 3 received 4 boluses. Fluid bolus volume of 10 mL/kg was used in 45.3%, 20 mL/kg in 35.7%, 500 mL in 6.4% and 1000 mL in 7.1%. The fluid content was 0.9% saline in 99.9% of cases. The most common indications for FBT were: vomiting/diarrhoea (23%), acute febrile illness (11%) and pneumonia or sepsis (10% each). FBT was associated with a reduction in median heart rate by 6 beats per minute (P < 0.01), reduction in mean blood pressure by 3 mmHg (P < 0.01), and reduction in venous lactate by 0.2 mmol/L (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Fluid bolus therapy is a commonly used intervention in the paediatric ED, most often for dehydration. Variability in indications, dose and effects of FBT warrant further exploration.

Does the addition of dextrose to IV crystalloid therapy provide clinical benefit in acute dehydration? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives

Intravenous dextrose aids in the resolution of ketosis in dehydrated patients not tolerating oral glucose and is often recommended in this clinical scenario. Our aim was to determine whether the addition of dextrose to intravenous rehydration solutions results in decreased hospital admissions or other clinically important benefits among dehydrated children or adults.

Methods

MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and the Cochrane Library were searched by a medical librarian from inception through November 2017. The inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials comparing dextrose containing intravenous solutions with intravenous solutions without dextrose in patients being treated for dehydration, and not already hospitalized.

Results

The database and bibliographies search identified 1,472 unique citations. Only two trials (N = 333) met the inclusion criteria. Both compared normal saline with solutions of dextrose in normal saline. There was no statistically significant difference in admission rates (relative risk = 0.83; 95% confidence interval = 0.62 to 1.10) or revisits (relative risk = 0.54; 95% confidence interval = 0.24 to 1.22). Heterogeneity was low (I2 = 0). No other outcome results were eligible for pooling, but neither study found differences in any clinical outcomes. No adverse events were reported in either trial.

Conclusions

The addition of dextrose to intravenous saline has not been shown to improve clinical outcomes in dehydrated children presenting to the emergency department with gastroenteritis, but the confidence intervals around the estimate of effect are wide and include the possibility of substantial benefit.

Coming full circle: thirty years of paediatric fluid resuscitation

Fluid bolus therapy (FBT) is a cornerstone of the management of the septic child, but clinical research in this field is challenging to perform, and hard to interpret. The evidence base for independent benefit from liberal FBT in the developed world is limited, and the Fluid Expansion as Supportive Therapy (FEAST) trial has led to conservative changes in the World Health Organization-recommended approach to FBT in resource-poor settings. Trials in the intensive care unit (ICU) and emergency department settings post-FEAST have continued to explore liberal FBT strategies as the norm, despite a strong signal associating fluid accumulation with pulmonary pathology in the paediatric population. Modern clinical trial methodology may ameliorate the traditional challenges of performing randomised interventional trials in critically ill children. Such trials could examine differing strategies of fluid resuscitation, or compare early FBT to early vasoactive agent use. Given the ubiquity of FBT and the potential for harm, appropriately powered examinations of the efficacy of FBT compared to alternative interventions in the paediatric emergency and ICU settings in the developed world appear justified and warranted.

Rapid Intravenous Rehydration Therapy in Children With Acute Gastroenteritis: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Rapid intravenous (IV) rehydration is commonly used for the management of pediatric gastroenteritis in the emergency department. The current practice shows wide variation in the volume and rate of rapid IV hydration. The aim of this review was to assess the efficacy of rapid IV rehydration compared with standard method in children with gastroenteritis.

METHOD

MEDLINE (1946-2014), EMBASE (1974-2014), and CENTRAL via the Cochrane Library (Issue 8, 2014) were systematically searched to identify eligible studies. Inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials of rapid IV rehydration in children with gastroenteritis.

RESULTS

A total of 1513 articles were retrieved, and our inclusion criteria were met by 3 studies, with a total of 464 participants. The percentage of children who were successfully rehydrated and tolerated oral fluids at 2 to 4 hours after starting IV fluid therapy ranged from 69% to 100% in both rapid IV rehydration and standard method. Time to discharge ranged from 2 to 6 hours (rapid rehydration) versus 2 to 5 hours (standard rehydration). Emergency department revisits ranged from 3% to 16% (rapid rehydration) versus 5% to 14% (standard). Summarized results suggested that rapid IV rehydration may be associated with longer time-to-discharge and higher readmission rates. The new evidence fails to demonstrate superiority of large-volume (60 mL/kg/h) over standard (20 mL/kg/h) IV rehydration.

CONCLUSIONS

Standard volume IV rehydration for 1 to 4 hours followed by oral hydration or maintenance IV fluids seems sufficient for most children with gastroenteritis requiring IV fluid administration. However, more evidence is needed to establish an optimal IV rehydration regimen.

Management of unstable pediatric hemato-oncology patient: results of a Web-based survey to pediatric oncologists in Spain

The current management and monitoring of unstable pediatric hemato-oncology patient (UPHOP) in the oncology ward is not well defined. To evaluate this concept, an anonymous Web-based survey was sent to the 150 Spanish pediatric oncologists registered in the Spanish Society of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology. The response rate was 57 %, with the following main results: Pediatric intensive consulting was available for 97 %, and it was made in case of UPHOP by 37 % of oncologists, up to 65 % if hemodynamic instability. In case of inotropic support initiation, 32 % of respondents never consulted the intensivist. Dopamine is first chosen inotropic; 28 % of surveyed considered there is no limit in its dosage or it is superior to 20 μg/kg/min before an intensivist consulting. Pediatric intensive care admission was considered necessary in case of fever with hemodynamic instability by 15 % of respondents. Respiratory monitoring was mainly done by clinical signs (67 %). In case of respiratory insufficiency, the noninvasive respiratory support by high-flow ventilation with nasal cannula was applied by 57 % in the oncology ward. In case of acute kidney injury, diuretics were generally the initial therapy. The anticonvulsive drugs most frequently applied were valproic acid (93 %), diazepam (88 %), and phenytoin (81 %).

CONCLUSION

A consensus should be achieved among oncologists and intensivists. The creation and training of rapid response teams could be useful to improve the UPHOP management.

Pre-hospital care of pediatric patients with trauma

Prehospital pediatric care is an important component in the treatment of the injured child, as the prehospital responders are the first medical providers performing life saving and directed medical care. Traumatic injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric patient population. Nevertheless, for most prehospital provider it is a rare event to treat pediatric trauma patients and there is a still existing gap between the quality of care for pediatric patients compared to adults. To improve pediatric prehospital trauma care more provider need to be trained in identifying the specific differences between adult and pediatric patients.