Do not Administer Free Glucose Solution

The Febrile Child: Diagnosis and Treatment by Prof. Dr. med. Tim Niehues in Volume 45/2013

The article was interesting. I have worked in neonatology, pediatrics, and intensive care medicine, but not every doctor has such a training background. If a doctor administers parenteral “saline or glucose solution to a child (in children <1^st year of life, about 100 mL/kg body weight” [1], p 771) then the child may die because of the glucose solution. The problem in the setting is the “free” water, which may lead to cerebral edema and convulsions. This case has actually occurred—the child in question died with convulsions.

DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2014.0252b

Heike Staus

Kölln-Reisiek

Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interests.

References

1. Niehues T: The febrile child: diagnosis and treatment. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2013; 110(45): 764–74