Objective To explore a new method of reducing the mortality of rat models of LiCl-pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE) by oral gavage of rehydration salts (ORS) liquid.Methods Forty-five young SD rats (20-day-old) and 30 adult SD rats (60-day-old) were enrolled in this study. They were randomly divided into five groups:the adult SE rats received ORS gavage (adult SE+ORS),adult SE rats(adult SE) and young SE rats received ORS gavage (young SE+ORS), young SE rats (young SE) and young blood glucose group. Seizures were induced in both young and adult SE groups with i.p. LiCl-pilocarpine was injected i.p. to induce SE,which was interrupted by diazepam at 60 minutes after SE onset. ORS gavage was conducted in all the ORS groups in different doses according to their ages at 1 hour, 12 hours or 24 hours after the onset of SE. The other groups were not given any treatment. The latency of seizure onset, changes in body weight, level of blood glucose at 8 hours after SE onset and finally the death rate of the rats were recorded. Results (1) The body weight of the rats with seizures was reduced by 5%-8%.(2)The mortality rate of the SE groups was high, especially at 24 hours after the SE onset, which was 40% in the young group and 57% in the adult group. (3) The blood glucose level was significantly decreased in the SE rats, and ORS gavage made the blood glucose returning to normal in the SE rats. (4) ORS gavage apparently decreased the mortality rate of young and adult groups during the 72 hours after seizure onset. Conclusions ORS gavage effectively reduces the mortality of SE rats, and is an effective method to improve the survival of SE rats.