Is Oral Rehydration with nasogastric tube more efficient than rehydration with spoon? Preliminary study in children with non-severe dehydration in Joseph-Raseta-Befelatanana Hospital, Madagascar

Since its recommendation by WHO, Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS) contributed in reducing the rate of mortality due to acute gastroenteritis. In Madagascar, the rate of lethality imputed to gastroenteritis is about 3%. Rehydration can be performed either by using spoons which reliability is unsure because of parents' potential inobservance and child's refusal, or by nasogastric tube. The nasogastric tube may resolve these obstacles at the hospital. We realized a preliminary study to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of nasogastric tube and spoon administration of the ORS in rehydration of child with moderate post-gastroenteritis dehydration. This is an open comparative study realized in the Pediatric Unit at the Joseph-Raseta- Befelatanana Hospital from the 21 January to 21 May 2008. Main outcomes was the proportion of rehydrated children at 4 hours, other were: failure at 8 hours, duration and volume of SRO, side effects. Fifty-three children from 4-month to 4-year old among 1306 patients were recruited and forty-seven patients were included. Nine patients failed (4 children received ORS by spoon and 5 children by nasogastric tube). The use of spoon was more effective: 62.5% of the patients were rehydrated at the fourth hour versus 39.3% in nasogastric tube group (P = 0.04). Making debit constant presents difficulties in rehydration with nasogastric tube (44.4 %). Tolerance of nasogastric tube is generally good but 16.7% children get out their tube during this study. No ORS' inhalation was observed with both routes. No false passage or tube or ORS rejection was recorded in both techniques. This study shows that using spoon to rehydrate is more effective for the rehydration of moderate dehydration. The use of nasogastric tube needs more surveillance. © 2010 Société de pathologie exotique et Springer-Verlag France.