I. Preparation
Open a bag of Oral Rehydration Salt III, pour the whole bag into the measuring cup delivered with the package at once, add 250 ml of warm boiled water (water level to the scale line of the measuring cup) and stir well.
Notes.
①One sachet of Oral Rehydration Salt III should be washed into 250ml of warm boiling water in one whole sachet, and cannot be split into half sachets and washed into 125ml of warm boiling water. Because inaccurate splitting will affect the concentration of the solution and thus the efficacy.
②Sugar, juice, milk and other substances should not be added to the prepared solution.
Second, the course of treatment
Drink at the beginning of the diarrhea until the diarrhea stops.
Dosage
3~6 sachets per day for children, 10~12 sachets per day for adults
Specifically, the dose can be determined according to the following 3 conditions.
1.No dehydration symptoms
The general principle is: take a certain dose of Oral Rehydration Salt III after each loose stool until the diarrhea stops, depending on the age of the patient.
Example: For a child with diarrhea around 1 year old, with diarrhea 5 times a day and no obvious symptoms, the daily dose (ml) = 100ml/time x 5 times = 500ml (i.e. 2 bags).
2.Mild to moderate dehydration
Mild to moderate dehydration manifestations: dry mouth and lips, irritable thirst, reduced urination, depression, few or no tears when crying, sunken eyes, etc.
Dose = (50~75) ml × body weight (kg), to be taken within 4~6 hours for adults and within 4 hours for children.
If after 4 hours, the patient has corrected dehydration, take the amount to prevent dehydration again until the diarrhea stops.
Example: For a 50kg diarrhea patient with mild dehydration, the dose (ml) = 50ml/kg × 50kg = 2500ml (i.e. 10 bags), finish drinking 2500ml within 4 hours, and after the dehydration is corrected, then take about 200ml after each loose stool until the diarrhea stops.
3.Severe dehydration
Severe dehydration manifestations: indifference, coma, not drinking water, deep sunken eyes, etc.
Patients with severe dehydration need to be sent to the hospital for emergency treatment immediately.
III. Infant and child feeding techniques
The use of adequate doses is the key to ensure the efficacy of oral rehydration salts III. What are the tips for feeding it to small children in particular?
IV. Tips
1. Do I need to drink all the Oral Rehydration Salts III at once?
Each bag of oral rehydration salt III needs to be prepared at once, but it can be taken in several doses, for example, smaller children can follow the principle of drinking a sip or two every few minutes, while larger children and adults can drink directly from a cup; the prepared oral rehydration salt solution can be stored at room temperature for 24 hours, so pay attention to avoid contamination of food, saliva, etc.
2.How about babies who are too small to feed so much liquid?
To ensure the efficacy of the treatment must be fed to the child in sufficient doses, to the smaller children can be fed frequently with a spoon, dropper or small cup, every 3-5 minutes, 5-10ml each time, until fed enough to meet the required dose. If the child vomits, stop feeding slowly after 10 minutes.
3.How to heat the oral rehydration salt when it is cold? Can I add hot water directly to it?
You can use a cup or bottle to warm up the solution, just like milk, and put it into a container with hot water.
4.Can I use sports drinks instead of or prepare my own oral rehydration salts at home?
The ratio of sugar, sodium, potassium and other electrolytes in sports drinks is different from that of oral rehydration salts, so the effect of rehydration is not as good as that of oral rehydration salts. Some sports drinks have a high sugar concentration and may even aggravate diarrhea due to high osmotic pressure. Therefore, it is not recommended to use sports drinks instead.
Homemade sugar saline is also not recommended because of its complicated operation and easy to make mistakes, because the sugar and salt in oral rehydration solution must reach a certain ratio and be used appropriately to work, and too much salt or too much sugar may be counterproductive. This method is usually only used temporarily when there is a shortage of medical care or medication.
WHO recommends oral rehydration salts III for diarrhea because they contain electrolytes in optimal ratios that allow for optimal osmotic pressure, rapid hydration and electrolyte replacement, and reduced stool volume, vomiting occurrence, and intravenous rehydration rates, shortening the duration of diarrhea.