{"title":"Therapeutic impact of routine electrolyte testing in childhood diarrhoea.","authors":"V Pillay-van Wyk, G Swingler","doi":"10.1179/146532810X12858955921276","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To report on the management of plasma sodium and potassium disturbances, identified by routine electrolyte testing in children.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A prospective cohort study of patients admitted to the Diarrhoea Rehydration Unit of Red Cross Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. The patients were 530 children aged 6 weeks to 2 years with a primary diagnosis of diarrhoea.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>For plasma sodium levels <125 mmol/L (3.4%, 95% CI 2.0-0 5.3), 48 patients (95% CI 30-116) needed testing for one to receive a change of management. For plasma potassium levels <3 mmol/L (31.6%, 95% CI 27.6-35.6), fewer patients (6, 95% CI 5-7) needed testing for one to receive a change of management.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Electrolyte abnormalities were detected and clinical management changed, but large numbers of patients needed to be tested for each change of management.</p>","PeriodicalId":50759,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Tropical Paediatrics","volume":"30 4","pages":"317-20"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2010-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/146532810X12858955921276","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Annals of Tropical Paediatrics","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1179/146532810X12858955921276","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
Aim: To report on the management of plasma sodium and potassium disturbances, identified by routine electrolyte testing in children.
Methods: A prospective cohort study of patients admitted to the Diarrhoea Rehydration Unit of Red Cross Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. The patients were 530 children aged 6 weeks to 2 years with a primary diagnosis of diarrhoea.
Results: For plasma sodium levels <125 mmol/L (3.4%, 95% CI 2.0-0 5.3), 48 patients (95% CI 30-116) needed testing for one to receive a change of management. For plasma potassium levels <3 mmol/L (31.6%, 95% CI 27.6-35.6), fewer patients (6, 95% CI 5-7) needed testing for one to receive a change of management.
Conclusion: Electrolyte abnormalities were detected and clinical management changed, but large numbers of patients needed to be tested for each change of management.