Effects of fluid resuscitation on total fluid loss following thermal injury

Plasma volume loss, cardiac output and hematocrit values have been measured in anesthetized dogs receiving a 15 per cent total body surface area third degree flame burn before and two, four and six hours postburn. One group of dogs received no fluid resuscitation. Five groups of dogs received fluid resuscitation with varying percentages of albumin added to the Ringer's lactate solution. Results of this study show that total fluid loss from the vascular bed increased as the result of fluid resuscitation. The amount of increase in total fluid loss was dependent upon the percentage of albumin in the resuscitation fluid. The higher the percentage of albumin, the lower the amount of total fluid loss. Following fluid resuscitation, cardiac output improved and the hematocrit level decreased toward normal. The amount of change of these variables was also related to the percentage of albumin in the resuscitation fluid. The greatest improvement in these variables was observed in that group of dogs receiving the greatest percentage of albumin in the resuscitation fluid. These results demonstrate that the administration of resuscitation fluid improves cardiovascular function following thermal injury and that the amount of improvement is related to the percentage of albumin present in fluid used for resuscitation.