Dehydration (ER)

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  Dehydration (ER) Kristen DiPaolo | CWK Network
 
 
“If the sodium is tremendously high, which can happen in dehydration sometimes, or tremendously low, there are neurologic consequences to that.”

-Dr. Cedric Miller, MD
  Related Information What Parents Need To Know Resources

Five-year-old
Sonal has a stomach virus. She’s vomited more than a dozen
times, and that has led to another problem.

Dr. Cedric Miller examines Sonal in the emergency room of Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta. He says, “She seems to be a little
more listless. She’s not moving around as much. She’s
not talking as much.”

She’s tired, hardly urinating, and her mouth is dry… all
signs of dehydration. Dr. Miller tells Sonal’s parents, “What
we are going to do is give her some fluids through her vein.”

Then Sonal should feel more energetic…and be less likely
to vomit. Dr. Miller says, “When she starts to feel better,
then I think we will try and challenge her with a little fluid
to see if she is able to hold it down.”

The nurses also draw blood to check her levels of sodium. Dr.
Miller says, “If the sodium is tremendously high, which can
happen in dehydration sometimes, or tremendously low, there are
neurologic consequences to that.”

Salt controls the amount of water in the brain. If there’s
too much, or too little, tissues can swell or dry out…causing
seizures or brain damage. “In that setting, we would either
add or delete sodium from the IV fluids that are being given,” says
Dr. Miller.

Her sodium levels are fine. The intravenous will simply replace
the fluids Sonal lost.

Dr. Miller tells Sonal’s parents, “Can you see now
that she has a little bit more moisture in her mouth, you can see
the bubbles in her mouth and stuff? Good!”

In time, the stomach virus will pass. For now, Sonal will drink
fluid one teaspoon at a time. Dr. Miller says, “So by giving
small amounts frequently, you are almost mimicking what you would
do with an IV.”

He tells Sonal, “All right, they are going to take that
out of your hand and let you go home.”

By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.

When a person loses 20 percent of his or her body weight due to loss
of fluids, death is an almost certain outcome. And research shows that by
the time a person feels weak from dehydration, he/she has already lost approximately
10 to 12 percent body weight, which is a very dangerous level. That’s
why it’s extremely important to drink plenty of fluids – especially
when exercising, playing sports, or if you’re sick with vomiting or
diarrhea. Experts at Travel Health Zone have developed a list of symptoms
caused by loss of fluids:

  • With a loss of 1 to 5 percent body weight: thirstiness, lethargy,
    irritability, loss of appetite, flushing of skin, increasing pulse,
    nausea and weakness .
  • With a loss of 6 to 10 percent body weight: hea daches, dizziness,
    dry mouth, tingling in limbs, blue shading of skin, slurring of
    speech, difficulty in breathing, stumbling and blurring of vision.
  • With a loss of 11 to 15 percent body weight: delirium, swelling
    of tongue, twitching, deafness, dimming of vision, numbness and
    shriveling of skin, difficulty in swallowing, death .
 
By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.

The combination of active children and summer heat
can often lead to dehydration. Children generally don’t think about
taking a drink break until dehydration is already a problem. In fact, some
experts say that by the time a child is thirsty, he/she is already suffering
from dehydration. Therefore, it’s important to talk to your children
about replenishing their fluids throughout the day, and encourage them to
drink while exercising – even if they aren’t thirsty. Experts
at KidsHealth.org develope d the following thirst-quenching tips:

  • Drink before you go out to play or exercise.
  • Drink water, juice or sports drinks frequently during and after playing
    outdoors. Carry a water bottle with you on your bike or in your
    backpack.
  • Drink at least eight glasses of water each day.
  • If drinking eight glasses sounds like too much water, try getting
    some of your water from foods like grapes, watermelon, oranges,
    cantaloupe, lettuce, cucumbers and celery.
  • Drink even when you’re not very thirsty.
  • Do not drink beverages with caffeine when you’re exercising
    (such as iced tea or soda, especially colas). Caffeinated drinks
    can actually make you lose more fluids because they make you urinate
    more.
  • Take plenty of breaks to rest in the shade or in air conditioning.
    If you take a shower or bath to cool off, you still need to drink
    plenty of water.
 
Children’s Healthcare
of Atlanta
Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta Emergency Services
Kids Health
Travel Health Zone
Rehydration
Project
 

Dehydration (ER Story)

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  Dehydration (ER Story) Emily Halevy | CWK Network
 
 
“ You can offer them things to eat and drink by mouth even while they’re having vomiting and diarrhea. But don’t try to fill up the stomach too quickly, small amounts frequently.”

–

Kathleen Nelson, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics.

–

  Related Information What Parents Need To Know Resources

Dr. Nelson takes a look at 3-year-old Jose Jamarillo who seems listless, “Okay, so about six days ago he started with fever?” Dr. Nelson asks Jose’s Mom, Margarita Navia. “Yes,” she answers, “and that lasted for three days, and then his fever went away, but his diarrhea continued?” asks Dr. Nelson. “Yes” says his mother.

Droopy eyes, pale and weak… for several days three-year-old Jose has suffered both diarrhea and vomiting.

“His mother was trying to give him a couple of ounces of liquid to drink every fifteen minutes or so. He was not able to tolerate this and continued to have significant vomiting,” says Dr. Nelson.

And his strength continued to decline…

“Okay, and his mouth looks very dry, his lips are dry, his eyes, he looks like he has a little, circles under his eyes…can you stick your tongue out for me…okay, but that’s good cause he still has some liquid on his mouth,” says Dr. Nelson.

Jose is dehydrated.

“The signs that we looked for were dry mouth, and his lips were very dry, not much tear, tearing of his eyes,” says Dr. Nelson, “And the fact that he was not urinating was another sign of dehydrated.

82-percent of blood is water. Not enough water can cause a drop in blood volume, rapid heart beat, low blood pressure, fatigue and even shock.

“And I know we’re gonna put in an IV,” says Dr. Nelson, “Because of the history of inability to really tolerate oral feeding, we started an intravenous line on him and gave him uh, water and salt and sugar through the intravenous.”

And… the miracle of water is… in just a few hours, Jose is a different boy.

“He looks like he’s feeling much better,” says Dr. Nelson as Jose smiles and plays with his I-V.

“He perked up right away,” explains Dr. Nelson, “You could see that he was much more interactive, laughing, cutting up, looking around the room, ready to get up and get out of the bed. And by the time he left he was able to drink without vomiting. So I anticipate that he’ll have a full recovery, but it might take a couple more days.”

By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.

When a person loses 20 percent of his or her body weight due to loss of fluids, death is an almost certain outcome. And research shows that by the time a person feels weak from dehydration, he/she has already lost approximately 10 to 12 percent body weight, which is a very dangerous level. That’s why it’s extremely important to drink plenty of fluids – especially when exercising, playing sports, or if you’re sick with vomiting or diarrhea. Experts at Travel Health Zone have developed a list of symptoms caused by loss of fluids:

  • With a loss of 1 to 5 percent body weight: thirstiness, lethargy, irritability, loss of appetite, flushing of skin, increasing pulse, nausea and weakness .
  • With a loss of 6 to 10 percent body weight: hea daches, dizziness, dry mouth, tingling in limbs, blue shading of skin, slurring of speech, difficulty in breathing, stumbling and blurring of vision.
  • With a loss of 11 to 15 percent body weight: delirium, swelling of tongue, twitching, deafness, dimming of vision, numbness and shriveling of skin, difficulty in swallowing, and death .

 
By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.

The combination of active children and summer heat can often lead to dehydration. Children generally don’t think about taking a drink break until dehydration is already a problem. In fact, some experts say that by the time a child is thirsty, he/she is already suffering from dehydration. Therefore, it’s important to talk to your children about replenishing their fluids throughout the day, and encourage them to drink while exercising – even if they aren’t thirsty. Experts at KidsHealth.org develope d the following thirst-quenching tips:

  • Drink before you go out to play or exercise.
  • Drink water, juice or sports drinks frequently during and after playing outdoors. Carry a water bottle with you on your bike or in your backpack.
  • Drink at least eight glasses of water each day.
  • If drinking eight glasses sounds like too much water, try getting some of your water from foods like grapes, watermelon, oranges, cantaloupe, lettuce, cucumbers and celery.
  • Drink even when you’re not very thirsty.
  • Do not drink beverages with caffeine when you’re exercising (such as iced tea or soda, especially colas). Caffeinated drinks can actually make you lose more fluids because they make you urinate more.
  • Take plenty of breaks to rest in the shade or in air conditioning. If you take a shower or bath to cool off, you still need to drink plenty of water.
 

Kids Health
Travel Health Zone
Rehydration Project

 

Dehydration Before Practice

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Education Feature

Dehydration Before Practice

By

Robert Seith
CWK
Network Producer

 
“It’s a cumulative process. You get a little bit dehydrated on Monday; you get more dehydrated on Tuesday if you don’t refuel the tank. … You continue to feel fatigued and by Wednesday [or] Thursday, you run into real problems if you don’t … re-hydrate yourself.”
 –

Steve Stepp, licensed athletic trainer

–

Jessica and Kevin are cross-country runners. They know what it’s like to feel dehydrated.

“I have felt, like, dizziness or kind of like blacking out once,” says Kevin, 15.

“Gotten cold, gotten dizzy, so yeah, I’ve noticed,” says Jessica, 13.

In fact, a study by the American College of Sports Medicine found that two-thirds of kids are seriously dehydrated before they even get to their team practice.

“The risk is certainly running into more severe — your heat exhaustions, your heat strokes, where people black out, they pass out, and that can lead to cardiac failure,” says Steve Stepp, licensed athletic trainer.

The problem is that dehydration can be a cumulative process, becoming worse over the course of several days. So drinking a little right before practice or during breaks isn’t enough.

“Waiting until your body says hey, I’m thirsty, I need a big glass of water or a big glass of Gatorade or Powerade, it’s really too late, you’re way behind in the hydration process,” says Stepp.

The study also found that when kids do drink, they only drink about half of what they need.

Stepp says parents should help kids follow a simple rule: weigh in before and after practice. For every pound lost, drink 22 ounces of water.

“So our first day of practice I bring a 22-ounce cup and make sure they know what that looks like,” says Stepp. “And then if they’ve lost three pounds by the end of the day, they know that they’re accountable to themselves to replenish … hey, three big glasses of this with sports drink or water.”

These days, Kevin doesn’t take any chances after practice.

“I’ll drink two cups of water and see how I feel and then if I’m feeling better, I’ll make sure I drink two more cups just to be safe,” he says.

 
Related Information

By Larry Eldridge, Jr.
CWK Network, Inc.

When a person loses 20 percent of his or her body weight due to loss of fluids, death is an almost certain outcome. And research shows that by the time a person feels weak from dehydration, he or she has already lost approximately 10 to 12 percent body weight, which is a very dangerous level. That’s why it’s extremely important to drink plenty of fluids – especially when exercising, playing sports, or if you’re sick with vomiting or diarrhea. Experts at Travel Health Zone have developed a list of symptoms caused by loss of fluids:

  • With a loss of 1 to 5 percent body weight: thirstiness, lethargy, irritability, loss of appetite, flushing of skin, increasing pulse, nausea and weakness .
  • With a loss of 6 to 10 percent body weight: hea daches, dizziness, dry mouth, tingling in limbs, blue shading of skin, slurring of speech, difficulty in breathing, stumbling and blurring of vision.
  • With a loss of 11 to 15 percent body weight: delirium, swelling of tongue, twitching, deafness, dimming of vision, numbness and shriveling of skin, difficulty in swallowing, death .
 

By Larry Eldridge, Jr.
CWK Network, Inc.

The combination of active children and summer heat can often lead to dehydration. Children generally don’t think about taking a drink break until dehydration is already a problem. In fact, some experts say that by the time a child is thirsty, he/she is already suffering from dehydration. Therefore, it’s important to talk to your children about replenishing their fluids throughout the day, and encourage them to drink while exercising — even if they aren’t thirsty. Experts at KidsHealth.org develope d the following thirst-quenching tips:

  • Drink before you go out to play or exercise.
  • Drink water, juice, or sports drinks frequently during and after playing outdoors. Carry a water bottle with you on your bike or in your backpack.
  • Drink at least eight glasses of water each day.
  • If drinking eight glasses sounds like too much water, try getting some of your water from foods like grapes, watermelon, oranges, cantaloupe, lettuce, cucumbers and celery.
  • Drink even when you’re not very thirsty.
  • Do not drink beverages with caffeine when you’re exercising (such as iced tea or soda, especially colas). Caffeinated drinks can actually make you lose more fluids because they make you urinate more.
  • Take plenty of breaks to rest in the shade or in air conditioning. If you take a shower or bath to cool off, you still need to drink plenty of water.
 

Kids Health
Travel Health Zone
Rehydration Project