Rapid isotonic fluid resuscitation in pediatric thermal injury

Intravenous fluid resuscitation within the first 24 hours after a burn is critical to prevent shock and maintain organ function. The Parkland burn resuscitation formula suggests that one half of the first 24-hour fluid requirement be given in the first 8 hours. Results of recent studies in animals suggest that compression of the first half of the initial resuscitation from 8 to 4 hours may have a physiological benefit. We reviewed the medical records of 44 children under 12 years of age who had burns of greater than 29% of total body surface. Twenty-two children received a standard resuscitation of one-half volume given over the first 8 hours, followed by one-half volume over the next 16 hours. Twenty-two children received a rapid isotonic fluid resuscitation of one-half volume over 4 hours or less, followed by the remainder given over 20 hours. Vital signs, urine output, urine specific gravity, blood gases (acidosis), ventilator need, morbidity, and mortality were compared between the two groups. The rapid group had increased normalization of vital signs (P < .001), increased urine output and normalization of urine specific gravity (P < .01), and decreased requirement for ventilator support (P < .05). The authors conclude that rapid isotonic fluid resuscitation is well tolerated by pediatric patients and may be better than the standard burn resuscitation technique.