Mortality in severely malnourished children with diarrhoea and use of a standardised management protocol

Background. Severely malnourished children have high mortality rates. Death commonly occurs during the first 48 h after hospital admission, and has been attributed to faulty case-management. We developed a standardised protocol for acute-phase treatment of children with severe malnutrition and diarrhoea, with the aim of reducing mortality. Methods. We compared severely malnourished children with diarrhoea aged 0-5 years managed by non protocol conventional treatment, and those treated by our standardised protocol that included slow rehydration with an emphasis on oral rehydration. The standardised-protocol group included children admitted to the ICDDR,B Hospital, Dhaka between Jan 1, 1997, and June 30, 1997, while those admitted between Jan 1, 1996, and June 30, 1996, before the protocol was implemented, were the non-protocol group. Findings. Characteristics on admission of children on standardised protocol (n = 334) and non-protocol children (n = 293) were similar except that more children on standardised protocol had oedema, acidosis, and Vibrio cholerae isolated from stools. 199 (59.9%) of children on standardised protocol were successfully rehydrated with oral rehydration solution, compared with 85 (29%) in the nonprotocol group (p < 0.0001). Use of expensive antibiotics was less frequent in children on standardised protocol than in the other group (p < 0.0001). Children on standardised protocol had fewer episodes of hypoglycaemia than non-protocol children (15 vs 30, p = 0.005). 49 (17%) of children on nonprotocol treatment died, compared with 30 (9%) children on standardised protocol (odds ratio for mortality, 0.49, 95% CI 0.3-0.8, p = 0.003). Interpretation. Compared with non-protocol management, our standardised protocol resulted in fewer episodes of hypoglycaemia, less need for intravenous fluids, and a 47% reduction in mortality. This standardised protocol should be considered in all children with diarrhoea and severe malnutrition.