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Serum electrolyte abnormalities in pediatric patients presenting to an emergency department with various diseases:

Chen-Wei Yen1, Mei-Ching Yu2, Jung Lee1

  • 1Division of Pediatric General Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.

Pediatrics and Neonatology
|August 20, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Serum electrolyte abnormalities (SEAs) affect 0.14% of pediatric emergency department visits. Hyponatremia is common in young children, while hypokalemia affects older children, impacting intensive care unit stays.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Clinical Chemistry
  • Pediatric Critical Care

Background:

  • Serum electrolyte abnormalities (SEAs) are common in pediatric patients.
  • Understanding the prevalence and patterns of SEAs is crucial for effective management in emergency settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the prevalence and frequency of SEAs in children presenting to a pediatric emergency department (PED).
  • To assess age-related differences in SEAs and their associated clinical conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective observational study of pediatric patients (≤18 years) with electrolyte panels from a PED.
  • Data collected over a 5-year period (January 1, 2016, to August 31, 2021).
  • Patients categorized into three age groups: <4 years, 4-11 years, and 12-18 years.

Main Results:

  • A total of 250 (0.14%) out of 182,058 pediatric patients had SEAs.
  • Hyponatremia was the most frequent SEA in children <4 years old.
  • Hypokalemia was the most common SEA in children aged 4-18 years.
  • SEAs were associated with gastrointestinal, renal, and endocrine diseases.
  • Younger children (<4 years) experienced longer pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) stays.

Conclusions:

  • The overall detection rate of SEAs in the PED was 0.14%.
  • Age-specific patterns of SEAs were observed: hyponatremia in younger children and hypokalemia in older children.
  • SEAs in infants and young children correlated with extended PICU admissions.
Abstract

Keywords:
age-related differenceschildrenpediatric emergency departmentserum electrolyte abnormalities

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