Oral and intravenous rehydration of children.

We compared oral rehydration therapy (ORT) with rapid intravenous rehydration (IV) in 42 young children with mild to moderate dehydration due to diarrhea. Overall, treatment was successful for 82% of the ORT patients and for 78% of the IV patients. Many physicians in hospitals are unfamiliar with the use of ORT for treating dehydration.