Eligible patients were children with moderate dehydration
or vomiting due to gastroenteritis who had not responded
to an oral rehydration therapy. They were randomly
assigned to each of the study groups: rapid intravenous
rehydration or standard 24 hour intravenous therapy. They
were allocated in a 1:1 ratio for each group. Nine patients in
the intervention group were excluded from the study due
to electrolyte abnormalities. In the intervention group, 54
patients received metoclopramide prior to admission and
49 patients in the control group received metoclopramide
as well; this was not significantly different between two
groups (p=0.7).
The intervention group received 20-30 cc/kg of a crystalloid
solution over 2 hours. Four hours after the initiation of
IV therapy, the patients were visited by the attending
physician at which time they were discharged or admitted.