What is the pediatric dosage for Dextrose 10% (D10)?

• A. 5mL/kg D10
• B. 10mL/kg D10
• C. 5mL/kg D25
• D. 2mL/kg D10

Answer: (A)

In pediatric emergencies, treating hypoglycemia with IV dextrose is done by weight-based dosing, aiming for about 0.5 g of dextrose per kilogram of body weight. Dextrose 10% provides 0.1 g per milliliter, so giving 5 mL per kilogram delivers 0.5 g/kg. That matches the typical target dose precisely. Using more would overdo the glucose (for example, 10 mL/kg would supply about 1 g/kg), increasing the risk of hyperglycemia and related issues, while giving less wouldn’t reliably correct the hypoglycemia (2 mL/kg would be about 0.2 g/kg). Therefore, 5 mL/kg of D10 is the appropriate pediatric dose. For example, a 20 kg child would receive 100 mL of D10, delivering 10 g of dextrose, which equals 0.5 g/kg.