Paediatric Anaesthesia Formulas
Fluid requirements
Fasting Guidelines for Pediatric Patients
TYPE Fasting Time (hr)
Clear liquids* 2
Breast milk 4
, TYPE Fasting Time (hr)
Infant formula 6†
Solid (fatty or fried) foods 8
*Includes only fluids without pulp; clear tea or coffee without milk products.
†The American Society of Anesthesiologists guideline allows a “light breakfast” (tea and plain toast) 6 hours before
anesthesia; however, determining what a “light breakfast” means for a child is difficult.
Maintenance Requirements in Children
Weight (kg) Maintenance Requirements in Children
(mL/hour)
0-10 4 (mL/kg)
11-20 40 + 2 (mL/kg)
> 20 kg 60 + 1 (mL/kg)
Replacement of Losses
Procedure Insesnsible losses
Non-invasive (inguinal hernia, clubfoot) 0-2 cc/kg/hr
Mildly invasive (uteteral reimplantation) 2-4 cc/kg/hr
Moderately invasive (bowel reanastamosis) 4-8 cc/kg/hr
Significantly invasive (NEC) > 10 cc/kg/hr
Intraoperative Glucose
Infants: 4 mg/kg/min = 240 mg/kg/hr maintenance requirements D5 = 50 mg/mL Delivery of D5 @
> 4 mL/kg/hr may lead to hyperglycemia
Catheter sizes and their flow rates
MEAN FLOW RATE RANGE (mL/min)
Catheter Size Length Crystalloid Crystalloid Blood
(gauge) (inches) (gravity) (pressure) (pressure)
24 0.75 14 to 15 42 to 47 20 to 30
22 1 24 to 26 65 to 77 44 to 50
20 1.25 to 2 38 to 42 103 to 126 69 to 81
18 1.25 to 2 55 to 62 164 to 214 150 to 164
16 2 75 to 81 248 to 280 216 to 286
Fluid requirements
Fasting Guidelines for Pediatric Patients
TYPE Fasting Time (hr)
Clear liquids* 2
Breast milk 4
, TYPE Fasting Time (hr)
Infant formula 6†
Solid (fatty or fried) foods 8
*Includes only fluids without pulp; clear tea or coffee without milk products.
†The American Society of Anesthesiologists guideline allows a “light breakfast” (tea and plain toast) 6 hours before
anesthesia; however, determining what a “light breakfast” means for a child is difficult.
Maintenance Requirements in Children
Weight (kg) Maintenance Requirements in Children
(mL/hour)
0-10 4 (mL/kg)
11-20 40 + 2 (mL/kg)
> 20 kg 60 + 1 (mL/kg)
Replacement of Losses
Procedure Insesnsible losses
Non-invasive (inguinal hernia, clubfoot) 0-2 cc/kg/hr
Mildly invasive (uteteral reimplantation) 2-4 cc/kg/hr
Moderately invasive (bowel reanastamosis) 4-8 cc/kg/hr
Significantly invasive (NEC) > 10 cc/kg/hr
Intraoperative Glucose
Infants: 4 mg/kg/min = 240 mg/kg/hr maintenance requirements D5 = 50 mg/mL Delivery of D5 @
> 4 mL/kg/hr may lead to hyperglycemia
Catheter sizes and their flow rates
MEAN FLOW RATE RANGE (mL/min)
Catheter Size Length Crystalloid Crystalloid Blood
(gauge) (inches) (gravity) (pressure) (pressure)
24 0.75 14 to 15 42 to 47 20 to 30
22 1 24 to 26 65 to 77 44 to 50
20 1.25 to 2 38 to 42 103 to 126 69 to 81
18 1.25 to 2 55 to 62 164 to 214 150 to 164
16 2 75 to 81 248 to 280 216 to 286
