Bio Impedance Monitoring as a Tool to Assess Fluid Status in the Pediatric Surgical Patient? (PedFluid Study)

March 4, 2025 updated by: Vera Saldien, University Hospital, Antwerp

Bio Impedance Monitoring as a Tool to Assess Fluid Status in the Pediatric Surgical Patient: Can we Measure a Fluid Shift

The baseline infusion rate during surgery for pediatric patients still is the 'Holliday and Segar' rule (also known as the 4/2/1 rule) The question arises if this rule is not outdated, since it was calculated based on the caloric need of the pediatric population, calculated for cow milk. The study tends to validate the use of bio impedance measurements for registering fluid shifts in the pediatric surgical patients.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

The Body Composition Monitor (BCM, Fresenius Medical Care, Germany) is the first device that determines individual fluid status and body composition in an easy and objective way. The technology uses bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) to determine total body water (TBW) and extracellular water volume (ECW).It measures at 50 frequencies over a range from 5 to 1000 kHz to determine the electrical resistances of the total body water and the extracellular water. While high-frequency current passes through the total body water, low-frequency current cannot penetrate cell membranes and thus flows exclusively through the extracellular water.

To obtain the clinically relevant output parameters, two advanced physiological models are used in the BCM: a volume model, describing electrical conductance in a cell suspension enabling the total body water and extracellular water as well as the intracellular water (ICW) to be calculated, and a body composition model calculating the three principal body compartments overhydration, lean tissue and adipose tissue from ECW and TBW information.

The measurement is a non-invasive and accurate method that is easy to apply and results are obtained within just two minutes. It has been extensively used in patients with kidney disease receiving dialysis, both in adult and pediatric patients. However, bio impedance spectrometry has not yet been tested in the perioperative setting.

This is a single-center pilot study to evaluate if bio impedance measurement is a workable tool to determine fluid shifts in the pediatric population after a surgical procedure was performed under general anesthesia. Patients will be seen preoperatively by an anesthesiologist which is standard of care upon surgery under general anesthesia and eligibility will be evaluated. Informed consent will be asked and has to be signed by the accompanying parent or legal guardian. Where possible, care will be taken to inform the child itself about the content of the study and to get a written acknowledge. There are no other investigations necessary for this research. All patients on the day of surgery will be fasted as by the guidelines of the European Society of Anesthesia. For patients in daycare surgery, measurements with BCM will be performed preoperatively and postoperatively before ending the IV line on the ward. For inpatient hospitalisation, measurements by BCM will be performed preoperatively, postoperatively 6 hours after induction and postoperatively 24 h after induction.. Age, gender, height, weight and blood pressure are registered in the device before starting the measurement. If the quality calculated by BCM is < 60%, the measurement will be repeated again and only good quality measurements will be used.

Data are collected on chip cards by the BCM. Data can be transferred to a personal computer for further analysis with the Fluid Management Tool (FMT). Site requirements is the availability of a low electronic surrounding for correct measurement. After discharge of the hospital no further follow up assessments regarding this study are needed.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

100

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

    • Antwerp
      • Edegem, Antwerp, Belgium, 2650
        • Recruiting
        • Antwerp University Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

1 month to 16 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Scheduled for elective surgery or investigation under general anesthesia
  • Day care or inpatient hospitalisation

Exclusion Criteria:

  • If sedation is needed instead of general anesthesia
  • Critically ill patients for urgent surgery
  • Patients who cannot lie still for performing correct measurements on the bio impedance monitor
  • No informed consent obtained

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Other: Bio impedance spectroscopy in children scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia
All subjects receive bio impedance monitor measurements pre operatively and post operatively.
The Body Composition Monitor provides information about the hydration status by a bioimpedance spectroscopy measurement of the body composition from which the level of overhydration can be derived. Four electrodes are used per measurement. All subjects get electrodes attached, following the wrist-ankle approach, in a tetrapolar arrangement. Two electrodes are placed on the hand: one on the wrist, and the second on the dorsal side of the metacarpalia, close to the phalanges. The other two electrodes are placed on the foot: one on the ankle, and the second on the dorsal side of the metatarsals, close to the phalanges of the toes. Age, gender, height, weight and blood pressure are registered in the device before starting the measurement. If the quality calculated by BCM is < 60%, the measurement will be repeated again. Measurements are taken under supervision of a trained technician or nurse.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
total body water
Time Frame: measurements with BCM will be done pre-surgery
sum of intracellular water and extracellular water, calculated in liter
measurements with BCM will be done pre-surgery
total body water
Time Frame: measurements with BCM will be done within 6 hours post-surgery for patients in day care
sum of intracellular water and extracellular water, calculated in liter
measurements with BCM will be done within 6 hours post-surgery for patients in day care
total body water
Time Frame: measurements with BCM will be done within 24 hours post-surgery for hospitalized patients
sum of intracellular water and extracellular water, calculated in liter
measurements with BCM will be done within 24 hours post-surgery for hospitalized patients

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Vera Saldien, MD,PhD, University Hospital, Antwerp

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 5, 2022

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 30, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 6, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 1, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

February 2, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 4, 2025

Last Verified

March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2021-0576
  • 002090 (Other Identifier: Edge)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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