🧒 Pediatric Dehydration Severity & Fluid Deficit

When to use

Use to convert an age-group- and severity-based dehydration percentage into a deficit volume, on top of maintenance and ongoing losses.

How it works

Deficit ≈ dehydration% × weight (kg) × 10 mL. Infant/toddler: mild 5/moderate 10/severe 15%. Older child: mild 3/moderate 6/severe 9%.

Key points

• Severe dehydration or shock is resuscitated first with rapid isotonic boluses (10–20 mL/kg) before the staged deficit replacement. (original synthesis · not guideline verbatim)
• The deficit is replaced in stages on top of maintenance, continually accounting for ongoing losses.
• Clinical dehydration grading is subjective and requires dynamic reassessment.

References

• World Health Organization. The treatment of diarrhoea: a manual for physicians and other senior health workers.

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