The fatal mistake of giving children ORS in the wrong proportion

In addition to taking their children to medical facilities for examination and treatment when they have a viral fever, many parents try to find ways to reduce fever and rehydrate their children at home. Experts warn that this “deadly” mistake will be dangerous for children.

Children need to eat nutritious food to increase their resistance on hot days (illustrative photo).

Poisoning due to incorrect rehydration ratio

Nguyen Van Nam (3 years old, Ha Dong, Hanoi) had a mild fever with vomiting and acute diarrhea. Thinking that he had a digestive disorder, to prevent dehydration, the family continuously gave him oral rehydration solution (ORS). However, he was still very thirsty, fussy, continued to vomit and had severe diarrhea. Nam was taken to the hospital with a high fever, dry lips and convulsions. Electrolyte test results showed that Nam had salt poisoning due to drinking the wrong ratio of ORS.

Colonel Bui Thanh Tien - Deputy Head of the Department of Emergency Resuscitation (103 Military Hospital) said that ORS has a very good rehydration effect, because in addition to distilled water, it also provides a very important amount of mineral salts. It is recommended in cases of dehydration and electrolyte loss due to diarrhea, vomiting, high fever... However, it is important to use it correctly and mix it at the correct concentration.

There are currently two types of oresol on the market: The small packet is indicated to be mixed with 200ml of water; The large packet is mixed with 1 liter of boiled water to cool. However, many parents are "creative" in mixing oresol, which is dangerous for children. Because some children do not like to drink oresol, and are afraid that their children will not drink enough water, parents mix the whole packet with a few spoons of water. This "creativity" inadvertently endangers children. When drinking oresol with a concentration that is too strong, it is possible to add less water but it increases the salt content in the blood, causing the osmotic pressure in the blood to be higher than normal, leading to the child having convulsions, high fever, restlessness, agitation, and coma. If not given timely emergency care, it can threaten the child's life. On the contrary, dilution does not have the effect of rehydration, and the electrolyte supply value will be reduced.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung (former Head of Pediatrics Department, Bach Mai Hospital) also said that improperly mixing ORS will cause water and electrolyte disorders, making diarrhea worse, and even causing death in children.

One of the common mistakes is that many people divide the ORS packet into many times, while the ORS packet should be dissolved in 200ml of water to ensure the concentration of substances, to compensate for the body's loss of water. Some people cut 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 of the medicine packet and then mentally calculate the corresponding amount of water to reduce compared to the standard requirement. These methods can easily cause salt poisoning in children.

It is best for parents to mix according to the instructions on the package, ensuring the correct ratio and giving the child small sips many times. In fact, there was a case where a child had diarrhea but relatives gave the child more than 3 packets of ORS by mixing each portion into a bowl and giving it to the child to drink continuously because they saw that the child was still thirsty. The amount of salt was too concentrated and caused the child to die from acute cerebral edema.

What to do when your child has a fever?

Another mistake in the way of rehydration and fever reduction for children that many parents are doing is intravenous fluids. They think that all fevers, even malignant fevers, can be reduced immediately with just one bottle of fluid without harming the child. However, the nature of intravenous fluids is not to stop or reduce fever. Infusing fluids on your own is extremely harmful to your health. Only when the fever persists will the doctor prescribe intravenous fluids.

“Infusion does not rehydrate the body quickly. In addition to the risk of shock leading to death, poor sterilization of the infusion can lead to the spread of infectious diseases such as viral hepatitis. If the child has a fever due to pneumonia, the infusion will make the condition worse. In fact, if the amount of infusion is too much compared to the condition, it will cause pulmonary edema and heart failure. Therefore, only in cases of real necessity will doctors prescribe infusion to rehydrate,” Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung advised.

According to experts, children are susceptible to fever in hot weather. Symptoms of viral fever in children are mainly high body temperature above 38oC, prolonged fever, cold limbs, frequent cough, and in some cases, rashes... Some children with viral fever also have repeated seizures accompanied by difficulty breathing. Therefore, it is important to take children to emergency medical facilities promptly.

Parents need to pay attention when their child has a fever above 38.5oC. Let the child lie in a cool place, wear thin clothes, bathe in warm water, and give the child enough water to compensate for the loss of water. Children with high fever often sweat a lot and are easily dehydrated, so they need to drink plenty of water, milk, juice, porridge, soup... to compensate for the loss of water. Absolutely do not let children drink soft drinks and carbonated water. It is necessary to monitor the child's reaction. If the child has been properly rehydrated with oral rehydration solution but still vomits too much, shows signs of dehydration such as fatigue, thirst, little urination... take the child to the hospital for treatment by a doctor to prevent the risk of dehydration which is very dangerous.

To prevent children from having a fever, it is necessary to feed them enough nutrients to increase their resistance. Dress children in clothes suitable for the weather to avoid catching a cold or fever due to increased body temperature due to thick clothes. Drink enough water every day. It is especially important to vaccinate against viral diseases such as measles, mumps, etc.

According to Giadinh.net