Pediatric Fluid Therapy – Basics MCQ Quiz | Fluids & Electrolytes

1. According to the Holliday-Segar method, what is the daily maintenance fluid requirement for a 15 kg child?

2. Which clinical sign is considered the most reliable indicator of severe dehydration (≥10% fluid deficit) in an infant?

3. What is the most common type of dehydration seen in children with acute gastroenteritis?

4. The standard initial fluid bolus for a child in hypovolemic shock (unrelated to cardiac causes) is typically:

5. Which intravenous fluid is generally contraindicated for initial resuscitation in a dehydrated child due to its hypotonicity and risk of causing hyponatremia?

6. Rapid correction of chronic hypernatremic dehydration in a child poses a significant risk of developing which major complication?

7. According to the WHO 2002 guidelines, what is the recommended sodium concentration (in mmol/L) in a low-osmolarity Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS)?

8. What is the total daily maintenance fluid requirement for a 25 kg child?

9. When replacing a fluid deficit in a child with isotonic dehydration over 24 hours (after initial boluses), how much of the calculated deficit is typically given in the first 8 hours?

10. In a child receiving IV fluids, which electrolyte is crucial to add to maintenance fluids but should only be done after adequate urine output is confirmed?

11. A 10 kg infant presents with a 10% fluid deficit. What is the total volume of the fluid deficit?

12. Which of the following is an absolute contraindication for Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT)?

13. The “4/2/1” rule is a simplified hourly rate calculation for maintenance fluids. For a 12 kg child, what is the hourly maintenance fluid rate?

14. Why is D5 0.2% NaCl (or similar hypotonic solutions) no longer recommended for routine maintenance IV therapy in hospitalized children?

15. In hypotonic (hyponatremic) dehydration, the fluid loss is primarily from which compartment?

16. What is the approximate percentage of total body water in a full-term newborn?

17. A child presents with moderate dehydration. On examination, you would expect to see:

18. The primary goal of the initial emergent phase (first hour) of fluid therapy in a severely dehydrated child is to:

19. In a child with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), the initial fluid of choice for resuscitation is typically:

20. What is a key clinical feature that distinguishes hypernatremic dehydration from other types?

21. What is the approximate volume for replacing ongoing losses from diarrhea using ORS?

22. An 8 kg infant is assessed to have mild dehydration (approx. 5% deficit). What is the rehydration volume to be given over 4 hours using ORS?

23. Which of the following best describes insensible water loss in children?

24. For a child with severe dehydration and shock, after giving three 20 mL/kg boluses of isotonic crystalloid with minimal improvement, what is the next appropriate step?

25. A child is estimated to be 8% dehydrated. This level of dehydration is classified as: