Assessing the degree of extracellular fluid volume contraction in a patient with a severe degree of hyperglycaemia.

A 7-year-old, 20 kg female had a 2 week history of polydipsia, polyuria and a weight loss of 2.5 kg. She was drowsy, but easily roused and answered questions appropriately. Blood pressure was 100/60mmHg, heart rate 148/min, respiratory rate 12/min, capillary refill >3 s and tissue turgor was poor. There was no urine output in the first 2 h (a Foley catheter was inserted). Laboratory data are summarized in Table 1. Based on this information, 98 adult and paediatric medical specialists were asked to assess her degree of extracellular fluid (ECF) volume contraction (Table 2).