Safety and effectiveness of hypodermoclysis compared to intravenous fluid infusion for rehydrating children with mild to moderate dehydration: a systematic review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this review is to summarize the evidence on the effectiveness and safety of hypodermoclysis (HDC) for the rehydration of children with mild or moderate dehydration.

Introduction: Children are particularly susceptible to dehydration, which can lead to severe gastrointestinal disturbances. Hypodermoclysis, the infusion of fluids and electrolytes via subcutaneous tissue, is an alternative route of administering fluid replacement when oral or intravenous routes are contraindicated. Although HDC is primarily used in elderly patients, there are no restrictions on its use in children. A review is needed to synthesize the evidence on the effectiveness of HDC for treating dehydration in children.

Inclusion criteria: Eligible studies will include infants and children up to 10 years of age with mild or moderate dehydration based on the Gorelick scale. Studies that compare fluid infusion with HDC to intravenous administration, at either hospital or home, will be considered. Outcomes of interest will include dehydration level, safety and pain. Studies published in English, Spanish or Portugese since database inception will be considered for inclusion.

Methods: PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Embase and Scopus will be searched, as well as multiple sources of unpublished studies. Two independent reviewers will screen titles and abstracts against the inclusion criteria, retrieve and assess the full text of selected studies, critically appraise studies for methodological quality and extract data using a standardized extraction tool. Data will be pooled in a statistical meta-analysis, when feasible. A Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Summary of Findings will be presented.