PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to update the knowledge on diarrhoea, a common problem in critically ill patients. Epidemiological data will be discussed, with special emphasis on diarrhoea in tube-fed patients and during antibiotic therapy. The possible preventive and therapeutic measures will be presented. RECENT FINDINGS: The need for concise definitions of diarrhoea was recently re-emphasized. The use [...]
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reliability and validity of refractometry, hydrometry, and reagent strips in assessing urine specific gravity in collegiate wrestlers. DESIGN AND SETTING: We assessed the reliability of refractometry, hydrometry, and reagent strips between 2 trials and among 4 testers. The validity of hydrometry and reagent strips was assessed by comparison with refractometry, the [...]
The optimal intravenous solution for rehydration of infants and children with severe dehydration is debated. AIM: The aim was to compare the efficacy of a polyelectrolyte solution (group PS) with sodium chloride 0.9% solution (group NS) in rapid parenteral rehydration of severely dehydrated infants with acute diarrhoea. METHODS: Primary outcomes were volume and time to hydration. Secondary outcomes were urea, creatinine, electrolytes, glucose, arterial pH and bicarbonate levels. Patients were [...]
In an experiment, multiple reagent test strips from 90 urine samples were examined twice: observed visually by one of two persons and analyzed by spectrophotometry. Interobserver and intra-observer agreement were calculated and expressed as Cohen's K. Interobserver and intra-observer agreement were moderate to good, but lower than one might expect. Enhancing discoloration of the test pads could improve reproducibility. FULL-TEXT AVAILABRLE IN [...]
AIM:To evaluate the reliability of dipstick measurements of urine specific gravity (U-SG). METHODS: Fresh urine specimens were tested for urine pH and osmolality (U-pH, U-Osm) by a pH meter and an osmometer, and for U-SG by three different methods (refractometry, automatic readout of a dipstick (Clinitek-50), and (visual) change of colour of the dipstick). RESULTS: The correlations between the visual U-SG dipstick measurements and U-SG determined by a refractometer and the comparison [...]
This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of state, minimally invasive clinical and physical signs (or sets of signs) to be used as screening tests for detecting impending or current water-loss dehydration, or both, in older people by systematically reviewing [...]
PURPOSE:Understanding the importance of euhydration in humans in order to ensure good health in various situations, the purpose of this review is to examine the available techniques in assessing hydration status. RECENT FINDINGS: During the past 20 years, many indices have been developed to assess hydration levels accurately in humans. Changes in body weight, haematological and urine parameters, bioelectrical impedance, [...]
1. The present study examined whether reductions in muscle blood flow with exercise-induced dehydration would reduce substrate delivery and metabolite and heat removal to and from active skeletal muscles during prolonged exercise in the heat. A second aim was to examine the effects of dehydration on fuel utilisation across the exercising leg and identify factors related to fatigue. 2. Seven cyclists performed two [...]
CONTEXT: Authors of most field studies have not observed decrements in physiologic function and performance with increases in dehydration, although authors of well-controlled laboratory studies have consistently reported this relationship. Investigators in these field studies did not control exercise intensity, a known modulator of body core temperature. OBJECTIVE: To directly examine the effect of moderate [...]
While a sensation of thirst causes severe distress for a certain proportion of cancer patients in the terminal stage, the factors contributing to this symptom have not been established. To clarify the association between sensation of thirst and medical factors, especially dehydration, a cross-sectional observational study was performed on terminally ill cancer patients receiving inpatient [...]