Oral rehydration fluid as an early postoperative fluid therapy in pediatric surgery

ABSTRACT

In this study, oral rehydration fluid was used to substitute the classical methods of intravenous fluid therapy in 161 children underwent a wide variety of surgical procedures. The failure rate was 4.9% [it was necessary to rehydrate the child through the intravenous route]; but, in the rest of the cases, the fluid was given successfully. The statistical analysis of those cases showed that there was no significant difference in the clinical or laboratory criteria selected for the evaluation of electrolytes and hydration status before and 12 hours after oral rehydration solution [ORS]; these criteria included weight, pulse rate, urine osmolarity, hematocrit value, serum sodium [Na] and potassium [K]. This new application of ORS as a postoperative fluid therapy in pediatric surgery can avoid the complications of intravenous fluid therapy and may enable the small and discrete hospitals to deal with these delicate cases