Administration of 5% Dextrose/Hartmann's solution compared with 5% Dextrose/Half Normal (0.45%) Saline following spinal instrumentation surgery or craniotomy in children results in less post-operative hyponatraemia.

Literature and clinical experience have shown that children undergoing major spinal surgery or craniotomy are at particular risk of low sodium levels. The optimal management of fluid and electrolytes in this group of children has received much attention in the literature, but to date there is still no consensus on this matter. Although many studies have described post-operative hyponatraemia, there has not been to our knowledge a prospectively conducted randomised controlled trial of the post-operative use of hypotonic dextrose/saline (standard paediatric intravenous fluid therapy) versus isotonic saline therapy following major corrective spinal surgery or craniotomy to prevent hyponatraemia in a paediatric population. We will be conducting a randomised controlled trial of Hartmann's and 5% Dextrose compared with 0.45% Sodium Chloride and 5% Dextrose. We hypothesise that Hartman's and 5% Glucouse will minimise the postoperative fall in serum sodium following spinal surgery and craniotomy.