Pediatric intensive care units (PICU) and pediatric cardiac intensive care units (PCICU) around the world use intravenous fluids routinely, but there are few studies looking at how fluids are used or what fluids are used in pediatric critical care. In pediatric critical care there are, however, currently no guidelines on the amount of fluid to use nor on the choice of fluid, whether it is for maintenance fluid therapy or for resuscitation. More specifically in the setting of the postoperative treatment of children who have surgical repair of heart disease there is an absence in evidence for fluid management. There is currently also no documentation on which strategies are being used in pediatric cardiac intensive care units around the world.
With this survey we want to document common practice in fluid management in the setting of the postoperative treatment of children following surgical repair of heart disease. We hypothesize that there is variability in the fluid management in PCICU’s around the world. This may reflect a lack of evidence, lack of availability or economic pressures.