A 6-month-old infant with acute watery diarrhoea and moderate dehydration (estimated 7% loss of body weight) weighs 7 kg. Using the Holliday-Segar method, what is the daily maintenance fluid requirement for this infant?

• A 700 mL/day ✓
• B 770 mL/day
• C 350 mL/day
• D 490 mL/day

Explanation

By the Holliday-Segar formula: for the first 10 kg, maintenance is 100 mL/kg/day. Therefore for a 7 kg infant, maintenance = 7 × 100 = 700 mL/day. This is the maintenance requirement only; deficit and ongoing losses must be added separately for rehydration. Option B (770 mL) would correspond to some other calculation; Option D (490 mL) equals 70 mL/kg which is incorrect.

Reference: Ghai Essential Pediatrics, 10th ed.

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