Between 1977 and 1981, we observed the presence of inspiratory crepitations in the chests of five infants with severe dehydration as a consequence of gastroenteritis. There was no evidence of chest disease, and the crepitations resolved as the dehydration was corrected. To our knowledge, this sign has not been reported in the indexed medical literature during the past ten years or in standard textbooks that describe dehydration. We report a case in detail and describe the clinical features in five infants.
Report of a Case.—A 20-month-old male infant was admitted to Princess Mary Hospital for Children, Auckland, New Zealand, with a four-day history of diarrhea and subsequent vomiting. Before admission, he had been treated with an oral electrolyte solution, promethazine hydrochloride, and codeine phosphate.
At admission, the infant was dehydrated and in shock. Temperature was 38 °C, pulse rate was 60 beats per minute, systolic BP was 40 mm