Objectives: We designed a study to compare rapid intravenous rehydration based on 0.9% normal saline (NS) or on NS + glucose 2.5% serum (SGS 2.5%) in patients with dehydration secondary to acute gastroenteritis. Our hypothesis is that the addition of glucose 2.5% serum (SGS 2.5%) to 0.9% saline solution could reduce the proportion of hospital admissions and return emergency visits in these patients. The secondary objective was to identify differences in the evolution of blood glucose and ketonemia between the groups.
Methods: We designed a prospective randomized open-label clinical trial that was conducted in 2 tertiary hospitals over 9 months. Patients were randomized to receive SGS 2.5% or NS. Baseline clinical, analytical, and disease-related data were collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS.
Results: The frequency of hospitalization in the SGS 2.5% group was 30.3% (n = 23) compared with 34.8% (n = 24) in the NS group, although the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.59). The frequency of return visits to the emergency department was 17.8% (n = 8) in the NS group and 5.6% (n = 3) in the SGS 2.5% group (P = 0.091). Changes in glucose and ketone levels were more favorable in the SGS 2.5% group.
Conclusions: Our results enabled us to conclude that there were no significant differences in hospital admission or return visits to the emergency department between children with dehydration secondary to acute gastroenteritis.