Dehydration Requiring IV Hydration
Description
Dehydration results from either increased fluid loss, decreased fluid intake, or a combination of both. Dehydration in infants and young children can be more serious because they have a higher baseline of fluid requirements and they aren’t able to communicate thirst or seek fluid when they need it.
Some of the main symptoms of dehydration in children include:
- Unusually drowsy or overly tired
- Too weak to stand and/or feel dizzy
- Few to no tears while they are upset or crying
- Sunken-looking eyes or cheeks
- Mouth is dry or sticky
- Urinating less often (fewer wet diapers)
In younger children, mild to moderate dehydration can happen very quickly, especially if the child is vomiting or has diarrhea.
Treatment
Signs and symptoms of mild dehydration for children can actually be treated at home. If your child is an infant up to 1 year old is experiencing mild dehydration symptoms, breastfeed or bottle feed them more often. Giving an oral rehydration solution, like Pedialyte, is also a great option if your baby or young toddler is vomiting, as it replenishes their body with salt, sugar, potassium, and other nutrients. Ask your doctor what type and quantity to use.
It is important to monitor your child’s dehydration symptoms carefully. If your child’s dehydration symptoms do not improve or keep getting worse, see your doctor right away. For treatment of severe cases of dehydration in children, IV Hydration may be required. Because most of the volume loss in dehydration is loss of extracellular fluid, the goal of rehydration therapy is to first restore circulating blood volume, then maintain hydration and replace any continuing losses of hydration your child may be experiencing from ongoing diarrhea or vomiting caused by a fever. The goal of IV hydration treatment is to replenish their bodies gradually over the course of 10-15 minutes.