Fluid requirement in adult dengue haemorrhagic fever patients during the critical phase of the illness: an observational study

Abstract Background Dengue fever prevalence is rising globally and it causes significant morbidity and mortality. Fluid extravasation during the critical phase of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) leads to shock, multi-organ failure and death if not resuscitated appropriately with fluids. The mainstay of management is judicious fluid replacement using a guideline based, calculated fluid quota of maintenance (M) fluid plus 5% deficit (M + 5% deficit) to prevent organ hypoperfusion. Methods We conducted an observational follow-up study in Sri Lanka from January–July 2017 to identify the fluid requirements of DHF patients and to identify whether features of fluid overload are present in patients who exceeded the fluid quota. Patients who developed DHF following admission to the place of study, were recruited and the amount of fluid received during the critical phase was documented. Results A total of 115 DHF patients with a mean age of 30.3 (SD 12.2) years were recruited to the study. There were 65 (56.5%) males and the mean fluid requirement was 5279.7 ml (SD 735) over the 48 h. Majority of the study participants (n = 80, 69.6%) received fluid in excess of the recommended maintenance + 5% deficit and this group had higher body mass index (22.75 vs 20.76, p0.03) and a lower white cell count at the onset of the critical phase (3.22 × 103 vs 4.78 × 103, p