Effect of hyperchloremia on mortality of pediatric trauma patients: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Hyperchloremia is often encountered due to the frequent administration of intravenous fluids in critically ill patients with conditions such as shock or hypotension in the pediatric intensive care unit, and high serum levels of chloride are associated with poor clinical outcomes.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the association between hyperchloremia and in-hospital mortality in pediatric patients with major trauma.

Design and setting: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary university hospital in Turkey.

Methods: Data were collected between March 2020 and April 2022. Patients aged 1 month to 18 years with major trauma who received intravenous fluids with a concentration > 0.9% sodium chloride were enrolled. Hyperchloremia was defined as a serum chloride level > 110 mmol/L. Clinical and laboratory data were compared between the survivors and nonsurvivors.

Results: The mortality rate was 23% (n = 20). The incidence of hyperchloremia was significantly higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors (P = 0.05). In multivariate logistic analysis, hyperchloremia at 48 h was found to be an independent risk factor for mortality in pediatric patients with major trauma.

Conclusions: In pediatric patients with major trauma, hyperchloremia at 48-h postadmission was associated with 28-day mortality. This parameter might be a beneficial prognostic indicator.