Oral rehydration therapy versus intravenous rehydration therapy in the first 12 h following hospitalization for hyperemesis gravidarum: A randomized controlled trial

Objective To evaluate oral rehydration therapy (ORT) compared with intravenous rehydration therapy (IVT) in the early inpatient management of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). Methods A total of 124 women hospitalized for HG from February 10, 2021 till January 6, 2023 were randomized to ORT (n = 61) or IVT (n = 63) for an initial 12 h. Inclusion criteria includes women older than 18 years, with a viable intrauterine pregnancy less than 14 weeks at their first hospitalization for HG with ketonuria of at least 2+. Primary outcomes were (1) satisfaction score with allocated intervention, (2) weight change, and (3) ketonuria change at 12 h. Secondary outcomes included vomiting frequency, nausea score, serial vital signs, hematocrit and electrolyte levels at 12 h, deviation from treatment protocol (cross‐over therapy), participant recommendation of allocated treatment to a friend, and length of hospital stay. Results Primary outcomes of (1) participant satisfaction score (on a 0–10 visual numerical rating scale) was 7 (interquartile range [IQR] 5–8) versus 9 (IQR 8–10), P