A significant association between the use of high-chloride intravenous crystalloid fluids and unfavorable patient outcomes in the perioperative or intensive care setting has been discovered by a team of researchers including Dr. Scott Paluszkiewicz of Boston Strategic Partners, Inc (BSP). The study, ‘Meta-analysis of high- versus low-chloride content in perioperative and critical care fluid resuscitation’ was published in the October 2014 issue of the British Journal of Surgery.
The study involved systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies comparing outcomes in patients receiving a high-chloride crystalloid versus a low-chloride crystalloid. The team’s analysis revealed that while high-chloride (0.9% saline) fluids did not affect patient mortality, they were associated with a higher risk of acute kidney injury and hyperchloremia/metabolic acidosis, longer mechanical ventilation time as well as higher serum chloride and blood transfusion volumes. Intravenous fluids containing high volumes of chloride are routinely used during surgical procedures and in the management of critically ill patients.
The research team, which also included Dr. Megan Krajewski, Duke University Medical Center, Dr. Karthik Raghunathan, Durham VA Medical Center, Dr. Carol R. Schermer, Baxter Healthcare Corporation, and Dr. Andrew Shaw, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, drew its conclusions after reviewing the results of 21 previous studies involving 6,253 patients.
See more at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bjs.9651/pdf
About BSP
Boston Strategic Partners, Inc. is a leading global healthcare consulting firm offering services to the life sciences industry in the areas of Business and Clinical Strategy, Health Economics and Outcomes research (HEOR) and Medical & Technical Communications.
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