Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Intravenous fluids are used every day in paediatric critical care to help patients recover from shock, receive life-saving medications, and recuperate from severe illness. A potentially important adverse effect, however, is the accumulation of too much fluid that leads to protracted illness (and increase mortality). As a result, the most common medication prescribed in paediatric critical care is furosemide - a drug designed to combat excessive fluid accumulation. While the guiding principles for fluid administration in children are intuitive, the strategies used to decrease excessive fluid accumulation have not been revised since 1957. In this study we will first explore if providing less fluid is safe and results in better outcomes for critically ill children. We will next evaluate the complication rates of furosemide in paediatric critical care. The third component will analyze the way we deliver furosemide can improve patient outcomes. Together, the three studies will involve large databases collected as part of intensive care unit care that reflect the care of thousands of critically ill children . This work will be the first-of-its-kind testing different aspects of fluid therapy in critically ill paediatric patients. If successful, the findings will contribute to important missing information on medical management and could help guide updated strategies to improve the recovery of paediatric patients with critical illness.