It's estimated four million children a year are brought to emergency rooms for dehydration. And that number is expected to increase with the H1N1 threat. Now there's a new alternative for getting kids fluids. The typical treatment involves an I-V, which can be painful, and take a good 20 minutes to insert. With this new method, it's easier on everyone.

Mikai Hall is an adorable, thriving toddler now - but not long ago, she had a stomach flu that left her lethargic and dehydrated. "We knew definitely something was wrong," says Rekina Hall, her mom.

A nurse, Rekina knew getting an I-V in to rehydrate her tiny body was going to be tough, "I didn't want them to stick my baby over and over again."

So she was thrilled when E-R docs offered her another option. It's a simple shot of an enzyme called hylenex, given between the shoulders where the kids can't see it. It allows fluids to be given under the skin without having to tap into a vein. "We have the child sitting on the mother's lap. When the child's sitting on the mother's lap, that child is hugging the mother it's a much more comfortable position for the child," says Dr. Philip Spandorfer.

In a new study, the hylenex worked well, allowing fluid to get into a child's system five times faster than a traditional I-V. "It helps to break down some of the glue in our skin that would prohibit fluid getting into the bloodstream. And now we're able to give that fluid under the skin and it gets absorbed very quickly," says Dr. Spandorfer.

While it's not more effective than an I-V, Dr. Spandorfer says it's less traumatic for everyone, "Trying to get the catheter into the, into the vein - that takes time. That probably takes 20 minutes. When we're doing this catheter under the skin, we're taking two minutes, very quick. Uhm, much less painful."

"She wasn't fussy, sat in my lap the whole time," says Rekina.

Being able to hug her through the procedure made a big difference, and getting the liquids in quicker made makai's recovery quicker, too.

The company marketing hylenex is right now working to make it more widely available across the country. It's a good solution for mild to moderate cases of dehydration, but severe cases may still nned the traditional I-V treatment.