To evaluate the efficacy and safety of fluid therapy at different concentrations for term dehydrated hypernatraemic newborns requiring intravenous fluid therapy, amidst the lack of consensus on the ideal fluid concentration.
Approach:
Intervention: Administered isotonic (0.9% NaCl) and hypotonic (0.45% and 0.2% NaCl) fluids for rehydration therapy.
Key Findings:
42.5% of infants receiving 0.2% NaCl exceeded the recommended correction rate of 0.5 mmol/L/hour, which may indicate a need for careful monitoring.
Interpretation:
Hypotonic fluids were associated with a more rapid decline in serum sodium compared to isotonic fluids.
Limitations:
Single-centre study may limit generalizability.
Retrospective design may introduce bias, affecting the reliability of the findings.
Conclusion:
Hypotonic fluids led to a faster decline in serum sodium levels, but differences in morbidity or mortality were not statistically significant.
