Administering fluids is important for children experiencing dehydration. The most common methods include oral rehydration therapy (drinking fluids) and intravenous (IV) therapy (fluids given directly into a vein). When parents are unable to give their children fluids through the mouth, often because of vomiting, their pediatrician may send them to the emergency room (ER) to receive fluids. Many pediatric emergency physicians treat dehydrated children with IV therapy. Starting IV treatment in a child can be challenging as children often have small veins which dehydration can further constrict, making it difficult to find and access a vein. Re-sticks can be particularly common with children - a study at an academic children's hospital found that nearly half of the young patients required two or more IV needlesticks.

HYLENEX recombinant (hyaluronidase human injection) is available from Baxter as a safe and effective alternative to IV therapy, as it facilitates under-the-skin (subcutaneous) delivery of fluids without the need to access a vein. Treatment with HYLENEX can be started quickly and easily with a very high first attempt success rate. HYLENEX can be given in an area that is convenient for both the child and caregiver, such as in the child's upper back, while the child is held by a parent. Results from a recently published clinical study of 51 mild to moderately dehydrated children showed that 94 percent of patients were successfully rehydrated. Treatment also was fast and simple to initiate (median time from insertion to start of subcutaneous therapy was two minutes) and highly preferred by parents, with nine out of 10 surveyed reporting they were satisfied or very satisfied with the procedure.

Please see Important Risk Information for HYLENEX recombinant (hyaluronidase human injection) at the end of the press release. Full Prescribing Information is available at hylenex/pdf/prescribe.pdf.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted among 804 parents in the U.S. who had children between the ages of one month and 10 years (inclusive). Data were collected between December 3 and December 15, 2009 by the Harris Interactive Service Bureau (HISB) on behalf of Versta Research. HISB was responsible for the data collected and Versta Research was responsible for all survey design and analysis. The sample included 411 women and 393 men.

SOURCE Baxter International Inc.