This version was machine-translated from German and has not been medically reviewed. The authoritative version is the German version.

Fluid calculator

Holliday-Segar maintenance requirement, 24-hour plan for dehydration and volume bolus by AWMF 068-003

What should be calculated?

Maintenance requirement Dehydration: 24-hour plan Volume bolus

Child

Current body weight (kg)

Age (optional)

For checking only: the formula does not apply to newborns.

Dehydration

Weight before the illness (kg, if known)

The deficit is then calculated from the weight loss (1 kg = 1,000 ml).

… otherwise estimated deficit (% of body weight)

Guideline: mild up to 5 % of body weight · moderate above 5 to 10 % of body weight · severe above 10 % of body weight. The clinical assessment (dehydration score) remains with the team.

Ongoing losses, estimated for the next 24 hours

Watery stools (number in 24 h)

Vomiting (number of episodes in 24 h)

Temperature (°C)

Volume bolus

Bolus (ml/kg)

Pre-filled with the guideline value (II.2.3); changeable.

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Sources

S2k guideline acute infectious gastroenteritis in infancy, childhood and adolescence – update 2024, version 4.1 (AWMF registry number 068-003) Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (GPGE) with DGKJ, DGPI, BVKJ, DEGAM et al., 2024. Guideline, long version (freely accessible; chapter II.1 oral and II.2 intravenous rehydration, table II-2, case example p. 49)
The maintenance need for water in parenteral fluid therapy (Pediatrics 19:823–832) Holliday MA, Segar WE, 1957. Original paper – derivation of the 100/50/20 rule from energy expenditure

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Note

Calculation aid for healthcare professionals. Clinical assessment remains with the treating physician.

Review date of the German original: 2026-11-05 · Methodology

Frequently asked questions

Fluid calculator: What does this calculator compute?

Maintenance requirement according to Holliday-Segar in ml/24 h and ml/h; in dehydration, deficit plus maintenance plus ongoing losses as a 24-hour plan, enteral and intravenous rehydration volumes and volume bolus – amounts from the AWMF guideline 068-003 for the entered weight, with a copyable calculation line.

Fluid calculator: Which sources is this calculator based on?

Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (GPGE) with DGKJ, DGPI, BVKJ, DEGAM et al.: S2k guideline Acute infectious gastroenteritis in infancy, childhood and adolescence – Update 2024, version 4.1 (AWMF register number 068-003) (2024); Holliday MA, Segar WE: The maintenance need for water in parenteral fluid therapy (Pediatrics 19:823–832) (1957)