A Review on the Use of Plasma During Acute Burn Resuscitation

The problem of fluid creep has generated renewed interest in the use of colloids during acute burn resuscitation. Currently, human albumin solution is usually chosen as the resuscitation colloid. However, human plasma was a fundamental component of numerous burn resuscitation formulas historically, but it largely fell out of favor due to concerns surrounding transmission of infectious viruses. Nevertheless, plasma is an effective volume expander which has been demonstrated to reduce overall volume requirements during burn resuscitation. Furthermore, plasma may have beneficial effects on the endothelium by diminishing the microvascular leak that follows a major burn injury. Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is now much safer from a disease transmission standpoint, and newer forms of solvent-detergent-treated plasma and lyophilized plasma offer potentially even greater safety and efficacy. The use of FFP and newer forms of plasma, which have not been extensively studied, should be investigated as potential adjuncts to acute burn resuscitation.