Part two of this article focuses on the care and management of infants and children who are seriously ill and who have lost so much fluid that they have entered a state of shock. The pathophysiology of shock is reviewed and the types and stages of shock are considered. The challenges of identifying shock are explored and the management of fluid resuscitation with colloids rather than crystalloids is analysed. An overview of the complex management of a young person in shock is provided using a case history format. The article offers the opportunity to extend readers’ knowledge of some of the special tests that may be required to support the diagnosis of shock and provides an overview of the expected results.
Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2018.e1014
CitationCrawford D (2018) Understanding fluid homoeostasis in infants and children: part 2. Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2018.e1014
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to open peer review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software
Correspondence Conflict of interestNone declared
AcknowledgementsThe author would like to acknowledge the expertise of the reviewers in the compilation of these articles. Both helped to refine a series of lecture notes into these articles and patiently supported the author throughout the various drafts
Published online: 10 May 2018
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