Oral rehydration by nasogastric tube using continuously sterilized water in infants with diarrhea in South Sudan (the Upper Nile area, Melut)

In the Melut-area 120 infants and young children (100%) (average estimated age 6 months) suffering from acute gastroenteritis were treated according to degree of dehydration and state of consciousness. Comatous patients and patients with life-threatening dehydration (= 25% of the patients) were given physiological NaCl-solution (15 ml/kg b. w.) intravenously and subsequently 2 to 4 courses with glucose electrolyte solution administered as a continuous drip-infusion via a nasogastric tube (CNGI) until the patient shed urine. Moderately dehydrated patients (35%) were treated by one or several CNGI only and therapy was then continued at home. Patients with mild dehydration (40%) were usually treated at home. Because of the bad quality and the microbiological contamination of the drinking-water which was the only source available for preparing the rehydration solution a chlorine-free disinfectant based on silver was used for water disinfection and preservation. Only solutions prepared in such water were used for both home-treatment and CNGI. In the 120 patients with treated diarrhea during a 7 months period 4 died. The rate of relapses, however, could not be established.