title: A prospective study on the implications of a base deficit during fluid resuscitation.
abstract: An excessive base deficit (BD) and elevated serum lactate are increasingly recognized as important markers of a malperfusion state during the resuscitation of thermally injured patients. In a previous retrospective study, we found that patients with a BD less than -6 mmol/l during fluid resuscitation developed more severe systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), more frequent acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and more severe multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). The object of this study was to reexamine prospectively the relationship between the BD during fluid resuscitation and the subsequent development of SIRS, ARDS, and MODS by undertaking a prospective observational study of a cohort of consecutive burn patients. Analysis was completed on 38 patients with a mean age of 39 +/- 17 years and a mean %TBSA burn of 36 +/- 15%. The mean BD in the first 24 hours was less than -6 mmol/l in five patients (BD24 < -6 group), and was greater than -6 mmol/L in 33 patients (BD24 > -6 group). Patients in both groups were resuscitated to nearly identical endpoints of urinary output (1.2 ml/kg/hr in the BD24 < -6 group vs 1.3 ml/kg/hr in the BD24 > -6 group). Patients in the BD24 < -6 group had a trend toward a greater number of SIRS signs on the first postburn day, had a significantly higher incidence of ARDS (P =.02), and had significantly more severe MODS (P <.001) than patients in the BD24 > -6 group. The results concur with those of our previous retrospective study. Despite resuscitation to an acceptable urinary output, some burn patients develop a more extreme BD and go on to experience more severe organ dysfunction than do patients who do not generate a BD. The effect of specific correction of the BD during fluid resuscitation is not known at this time.
authors.affiliation: Ross Tilley Burn Center, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Center, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4N 3M5.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cartotto
authors.forename: Jeannie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005440:Fluid Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012151:Resuscitation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018746:Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014883:Water-Electrolyte Imbalance / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*