Weighing wet diapers: a new approach to measuring infant output.

Accurate measurement of fluid losses is important in infant patients, especially in burn cases. Indwelling catheters, urine collection bags and other commonly used methods of continuous urine collection and measurement have several disadvantages including trauma, danger of infection, skin irritation, need for restraints, and use of expensive devices. The present study was designed to ascertain if weighing wet diapers can be used as a method of measuring infant urine output. This study utilized disposable diapers to measure urine output in a group of 14 bottle-fed neonates. Careful handling kept fluid losses at a minimum without requiring special equipment or disturbing normal ward routine. A significant correlation between fluid intake and diaper weights indicated that diaper weights can be used as a measure of urine output. A follow up of this study is recommended to compare weighing wet diapers as a method of measuring urine output with either the indwelling catheter or the polythene urine collection bag. To further test the efficacy of this method, it is recommended that a larger group of infants be tested with several nurses collecting and weighing the diapers.