"""Raw"" Formula for Calculating Maintenance Fluid Volumes in Low Birth-Weight and Premature Babies"

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND.Fluid management of low birth weight and preterm babies can be challenging; as the determination of maintenance fluid volumes have to be calculated to suit the demands of this delicate neonates in order to avoid fluid over-load or dehydration. It is on this background that this study to derive an easy to use formula for calculating maintenance fluid volumes in this category of babies was embarked upon; utilizing existing Tables.METHOD.One of the most developed Tables on this subject matter; the 'Paediatric Surgical Unit Guidelines; Sheffield Children's Hospital' was selected; re-ordered; subjected to analysis; factorization and simplification; in order to derive the formula. To validate its accuracy the Table was re-constructed using the derived Formula. The derived Table was then compared with the original table. The paired sample T- test; using variation in days and in weights; did not show any statistically significant (p0.05) difference between the two Tables RESULTS.From the Table the formula; 20{(R+A)-W}; ml kg~ 1 day~ 1 was derived. This translates to 20(R+A-W) ml kg~ 1 day 1or 0.8(R+A-W) ml kg ~ 1Hr~ K Where R - Rehydration factor (ranging mostly from 3 to 5); A