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Effect of Potassium Therapy in Severe Infantile Gastroenteritis
Author(s) -
HALLMAN NIILO
Publication year - 1952
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1952.tb17027.x
Subject(s) - medicine , potassium , potassium deficiency , pneumonia , bronchopneumonia , autopsy , surgery , mortality rate , anesthesia , gastroenterology , pediatrics , chemistry , organic chemistry
Summary A study is made of 70 cases of severe infantile gastroenteritis; half of the patients were treated by subcutaneous administration of solutions containing potassium during the first few days of treatment, and the rest were given solutions free from potassium for a corresponding length of time. Therapy was similar in all other respects. Both groups are similar in regard to age, picture of the disease, duration prior to admission and alkali reserve at the begining of treatment. Of the 35 infants treated without potassium 15 died, compared with 7 in group treated with potassium. One of the former group had bronoho‐pneumonia discovered at autopsy. In the latter group one also had bronchopneumonia, one purulent meningitis, and another thrombosis of the sagittal sinus. If these cases, whose prognosis was obviously unaffected by the fluid therapy are excluded, the mortality rate of those treated without potassium was 41 per cent and for those treated with potassium 13 per cent. The recoveries belonging to the latter group showed on an average a more rapid gain in weight than patients treated without potassium. The advantage of potassium therapy is evidenced by the result.