Effect of Rehydration With Normal Saline Versus Ringer Lactate on Serum Sodium Level of Children With Acute Diarrhea...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Clinical Hydration Therapy
• Pediatric Gastroenterology

Background:

• Severe dehydration in children with acute diarrhea poses significant risks.
• Intravenous fluid therapy is crucial for rehydration, with Normal Saline (NS) and Ringer Lactate (RL) being common choices.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) provides guidelines (Plan C) for managing severe dehydration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of Normal Saline (NS) and Ringer Lactate (RL) in altering serum sodium levels during severe dehydration correction in children.
• To determine if NS and RL are equivalent for intravenous rehydration in pediatric acute diarrhea cases.

Main Methods:

• An equivalence randomized controlled trial was conducted in a tertiary care hospital.
• 72 children (1-12 years) with severe dehydration due to acute diarrhea were enrolled.
• Participants received either RL (n=36) or NS (n=36) intravenously according to WHO Plan C, with serum sodium levels measured pre-intervention and 3 hours post-intervention.

Main Results:

• 70 children completed the study (35 in each group).
• The mean change in serum sodium from baseline was 1.4 mEq/L (±4.5) for the RL group and 2.1 mEq/L (±4.9) for the NS group.
• The difference in mean serum sodium change between the groups was not statistically significant (P=0.58).

Conclusions:

• Normal Saline and Ringer Lactate demonstrate equivalent effects on serum sodium levels during the correction of severe dehydration in children with acute diarrhea.
• Both NS and RL can be effectively used for intravenous rehydration in this pediatric population according to WHO Plan C guidelines.