Correspondence
Table 1
3 Holliday M, Segar W. The maintenance need for water in parenteral fluid therapy. Pediatrics 1957; 19: 823–32
Patients. NS, not significant
Number of males (%) Mean weight (kg) Mean age (yr) Mean no. of segments instrumented
3% Dextrose/ 1/3 NaCl (n=30)
5% Dextrose/ Hartmann’s (n=29)
P-value
15.0 (50) 33.3 11.4 8.8
9 (31) 39.6 11.8 9.3
NS NS NS NS
Table 2 Clinical and laboratory results. *Mean (SD). NS, not significant
SD,
doi:10.1093/bja/ael297
Coexisting Harlequin and Horner’s syndromes
standard deviation.
3% Dextrose/ 5% Dextrose/ P-value 1/3 NaCl (n=30) Hartmann’s (n=29) 140.1 (2.5)
NS
137.6 (2.8)
NS
2.2
0.00
5 (17)
0.08
19 (66)
NS
4.0
NS
17
NS
received the two different i.v. fluid regimens. The two groups were equivalent for age, gender, underlying diagnosis, operative procedure and amount of bolus fluid received (Table 1). The main results are shown in Table 2. We conclude that the change in postoperative fluid regimen from dextrose 3% and sodium chloride 0.3% at two-thirds maintenance rate to dextrose 5% and Hartmann’s at full maintenance rate reduced the proportion of patients with postoperative hyponatraemia and the fall in serum sodium at 12–16 h after operation. However, in our 2 yr study there were no patients in either cohort with clinically significant hyponatraemia. We are not aware of good quality clinical trials to guide the management of paediatric perioperative fluid therapy. We are currently enrolling patients in a randomized control trial to further investigate perioperative fluid management in children. M. G. Coulthard* L. S. Cheater D. A. Long Brisbane, Australia *E-mail:
[email protected]
References 1 Cunliffe M, Potter F. Four and a fifth and all that. Br J Anaesth 2006; 97: 274–7 2 Way C, Dhamrait R, Wade A, Walker I. Perioperative fluid therapy in children: a survey of current prescribing practice. Br J Anaesth 2006; 97: 371–9
A. Majumder* P. Farquhar-Smith London, UK *E-mail:
[email protected]
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Initial serum Na 140.7 (2.4) (mmol litre 1)* 135.5 (2.5) Serum Na at 12–16 h (mmol litre 1)* 5.2 Fall in serum Na (mmol litre 1) 11 (37) Follow-up serum Na
