BACKGROUND: Severely malnourished children have high mortality rates. Death commonly occurs during the first 48 h after hospital admission, and has been attributed to faulty case-management. We developed a standardised protocol for acute-phase treatment of children with severe malnutrition and diarrhoea, with the aim of reducing mortality. METHODS: We compared severely malnourished children with diarrhoea aged 0-5 years managed by non-protocol conventional treatment, and those treated by our standardised protocol that included slow rehydration with an emphasis on oral rehydration. The standardised-protocol group included children admitted to the ICDDR,B Hospital, Dhaka between Jan 1, 1997, and June 30, 1997, while those admitted between Jan 1, 1996, and June 30, 1996, before the protocol was implemented, were the non-protocol group. FINDINGS: Characteristics on admission of children on standardised protocol (n=334) and non-protocol children (n=293) were similar except that more children on standardised protocol had oedema, acidosis, and Vibrio cholerae isolated from stools. 199 (59.9%) of children on standardised protocol were successfully rehydrated with oral rehydration solution, compared with 85 (29%) in the non-protocol group (p<0.0001). Use of expensive antibiotics was less frequent in children on standardised protocol than in the other group (p<0.0001). Children on standardised protocol had fewer episodes of hypoglycaemia than non-protocol children (15 vs 30, p=0.005). 49 (17%) of children on non-protocol treatment died, compared with 30 (9%) children on standardised protocol (odds ratio for mortality, 0.49, 95% CI 0.3-0.8, p=0.003). INTERPRETATION: Compared with non-protocol management, our standardised protocol resulted in fewer episodes of hypoglycaemia, less need for intravenous fluids, and a 47% reduction in mortality. This standardised protocol should be considered in all children with diarrhoea and severe malnutrition.
BACKGROUND: Severely malnourished children have high mortality rates. Death commonly occurs during the first 48 h after hospital admission, and has been attributed to faulty case-management. We developed a standardised protocol for acute-phase treatment of children with severe malnutrition and diarrhoea, with the aim of reducing mortality. METHODS: We compared severely malnourished children with diarrhoea aged 0-5 years managed by non-protocol conventional treatment, and those treated by our standardised protocol that included slow rehydration with an emphasis on oral rehydration. The standardised-protocol group included children admitted to the ICDDR,B Hospital, Dhaka between Jan 1, 1997, and June 30, 1997, while those admitted between Jan 1, 1996, and June 30, 1996, before the protocol was implemented, were the non-protocol group. FINDINGS: Characteristics on admission of children on standardised protocol (n=334) and non-protocol children (n=293) were similar except that more children on standardised protocol had oedema, acidosis, and Vibrio cholerae isolated from stools. 199 (59.9%) of children on standardised protocol were successfully rehydrated with oral rehydration solution, compared with 85 (29%) in the non-protocol group (p<0.0001). Use of expensive antibiotics was less frequent in children on standardised protocol than in the other group (p<0.0001). Children on standardised protocol had fewer episodes of hypoglycaemia than non-protocol children (15 vs 30, p=0.005). 49 (17%) of children on non-protocol treatment died, compared with 30 (9%) children on standardised protocol (odds ratio for mortality, 0.49, 95% CI 0.3-0.8, p=0.003). INTERPRETATION: Compared with non-protocol management, our standardised protocol resulted in fewer episodes of hypoglycaemia, less need for intravenous fluids, and a 47% reduction in mortality. This standardised protocol should be considered in all children with diarrhoea and severe malnutrition.
Authors: Daniel T Leung; Sumon K Das; M A Malek; Firdausi Qadri; A S G Faruque; Mohammod J Chisti; Edward T Ryan Journal: Am J Trop Med Hyg Date: 2015-07-06 Impact factor: 2.345
Authors: Harry Campbell; Trevor Duke; Martin Weber; Mike English; Susanne Carai; Giorgio Tamburlini Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2008-04 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: A S G Faruque; A M Shamsir Ahmed; Tahmeed Ahmed; M Munirul Islam; Md Iqbal Hossain; S K Roy; Nurul Alam; Iqbal Kabir; David A Sack Journal: J Health Popul Nutr Date: 2008-09 Impact factor: 2.000
Authors: M Iqbal Hossain; Nina S Dodd; Tahmeed Ahmed; Golam Mothabbir Miah; Kazi M Jamil; Baitun Nahar; Badrul Alam; C B Mahmood Journal: J Health Popul Nutr Date: 2009-02 Impact factor: 2.000