Resuscitation and airway
Fluid bolus by weight
Bolus volume from weight, with the NICE 10 mL/kg default.
For education. Check against your unit's guidance and a second clinician before use.
kg
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Before you use this
- NICE advises 10 mL/kg of a glucose-free crystalloid with sodium 131–154 mmol/L, given over less than 10 minutes, then reassessing.
- Some conditions need a different approach (for example DKA, heart failure, trauma, newborns). Follow the condition-specific guideline.
- Around the world: the FEAST trial in East Africa found that fluid boluses increased deaths in children with severe febrile illness without hypotension, where intensive care was not available. WHO guidance reflects this.
How this is calculated
- Bolus volume (mL) = bolus size (mL/kg) × weight (kg)
Sources
- NICE guideline NG29. Intravenous fluid therapy in children and young people in hospital (2015, updated 2020).
- Maitland K, et al. Mortality after fluid bolus in African children with severe infection (FEAST). N Engl J Med 2011;364:2483–95.
Checked by PICUlearn, 21 Sept 2026.