Dehydration Scale for Children with Gastroenteritis: Is It Useful?

A simple four-attribute dehydration scale has no benefit beyond predicting emergency department management and length of stay.

In a prospective study to externally validate a recently developed clinical dehydration scale (CDS) for children with gastroenteritis, triage nurses assigned CDS scores to a convenience sample of children (age range, 1 month to 5 years) who presented with vomiting, diarrhea, or both to a tertiary pediatric emergency department (ED) in Canada. The CDS score is calculated by assigning a score of 0, 1, or 2 for each of four clinical characteristics — general appearance (normal, thirsty/lethargic/irritable, drowsy/limp/cold/sweaty), eyes (normal, slightly sunken, very sunken), mucous membranes (moist, sticky, dry), and tears (present, decreased, absent) — and summing the scores.

Of 150 patients, 56 had no dehydration (CDS score, 0), 74 had some …

Reviewing Author

Katherine Bakes, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier)

Grant/Research SupportDepartment of Justice

Editorial BoardsEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier); Rosen’s Emergency Medicine (Elsevier)

Katherine Bakes, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier)

Grant/Research SupportDepartment of Justice

Editorial BoardsEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier); Rosen’s Emergency Medicine (Elsevier)