Using automated pump-delivery devices to reduce the incidence of excessive fluid administration during pediatric dental surgery: a randomized-controlled trial

The harms caused by excessive perioperative intravenous (IV) fluid administration are both well recognized and avoidable. The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of excess intraoperative fluid administration in pediatric dental surgery patients when either an automated pump-delivery device or a manual gravity-drip device is used. We randomly assigned American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I and II pediatric dental surgery patients to receive IV fluid via either a manual gravity-drip or automated pump-delivery device. Prior to each case, the attending anesthesiologist determined the target volume of maintenance IV fluid to be administered based on patient weight, estimated fluid deficits, and expected case length. The intraoperative IV fluid delivered was determined at the end of the case by the change in the IV bag weight. The primary outcome was the proportion of procedures that delivered ≥ 10% of the target IV fluid volume. We recruited 105 children aged two to 12 yr (n = 49 in the automated pump-delivery device; n = 53 in the manual gravity-drip device). The proportion of excessive fluid administration was 8/49 (16%) in the automated pump-delivery device group compared with 33/53 (62%) in the gravity-drip group (relative risk of excessive fluid administration, 0.26; 95% confidence interval, 0.13 to 0.51; P < 0.001). Intraoperative fluid administration using an automated pump-delivery device decreased the incidence of excessive IV fluid administration in pediatric dental surgery patients. www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03312452); registered 17 October 2017.