Fluids and body composition during anesthesia in children and adolescents: A pilot study
摘要
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the intracellular and extracellular volume before and after anesthesia in order to ascertain their variations and determine the potential utility of this information in optimizing intraoperative fluid administration practices. A bioimpedance spectroscopy device (body composition monitor, BCM) was used to measure total body fluid volume, extracellular volume, and intracellular volume. BCM measurements were performed before and after general anesthesia in unselected healthy children and adolescents visiting the Pediatric Institute of Southern Switzerland for low-risk surgical procedures hydrated with an isotonic solution. In 100 children and adolescents aged 7.0 (4.8–11) years (median and interquartile range), the average total body water increased perioperatively with a delta value of 182 (0–383) mL/m2 from pre- to postoperatively, as well as the extracellular water content, which had a similar increase with a delta value of 169 (19–307) mL/m2. The changes in total body water and extracellular water content significantly correlated with the amount of fluids administered. The intracellular water content did not significantly change.
Conclusion: Intraoperative administration of isotonic solutions results in a significant fluid accumulation in low-risk schoolchildren during general anesthesia. The results suggest that children without major health problems undergoing short procedures do not need any perioperative intravenous fluid therapy, because they are allowed to take clear fluids up to 1 h prior anesthesia. In future studies, the use of BCM measurements has the potential to be valuable in guiding intraoperative fluid therapy.