The effectiveness of a military pre-hospital fluid infusion strategy.
We performed a study to assess the effectiveness of a fluid infusion strategy currently used in the military pre-hospital environment using the patient's own body weight as an infusion device. Thirteen healthy volunteers were cannulated and 0.9% sodium chloride infused over a period of ten minutes. The volumes infused were measured and flow rates derived. A mean flow rate of 40 ml per minute was seen through an 18 g cannula. This strategy generates reasonable flow rates, but whether this is sufficient to the clinical aim of fluid resuscitation in pre-hospital settings is unknown.
O'Meara
M
M
Academic Department of Clinical Traumatology, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham. matthew.omeara@doctors.org.uk
Wood
P
P
Thurgood
A
A
Porter
K
K
D001835:Body Weight; D002404:Catheterization; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods*; D005440:Fluid Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006113:United Kingdom
D012965:Sodium Chloride