Extreme Hypernatraemia in a Child Receiving Gastrostomy Feeding

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Howman‐Giles, R. H. and Roy, L. P. (1976). Aust. paediat. J. , 12, 167–170. Extreme hypernatraemia in a child receiving gastrostomy feeding. A 2‐year 7‐month‐old child with oesophageal atresia developed extreme hypernatraemic dehydration after being given hyperosmolar feedings in a fixed volume via gastrostomy. His thirst had been met by increasing his sham oral intake and no water was added to gastrostomy feeds. When medical intervention removes a patient's ability to respond normally to homeostatic demands, hypernatraemic dehydration must be anticipated and those caring for the patient instructed how to correct this deficiency. The parents of a child with a long‐standing gastrostomy must be aware of the need to make appropriate corrections to the feedings in response to the child's indication of hunger or thirst.