14 research outputs found
From Cholera to Burns: A Role for Oral Rehydration Therapy
According to the practice guidelines of the American Burn Association
on burn shock resuscitation, intravenous (IV) fluid therapy is the
standard of care for the replacement of fluid and electrolyte losses in
burn injury of 6520% of the total body surface area. However, in
mass burn casualties, IV fluid resuscitation may be delayed or
unavailable. Oral rehydration therapy (ORT), which has been shown to be
highly effective in the treatment of dehydration in epidemics of
cholera, could be an alternate way to replace fluid losses in burns. A
prospective case series of three patients was carried out as an initial
step to establish whether oral Ceralyte\uae90 could replace fluid
losses requiring IV fluid therapy in thermal injury. The requirement of
the continuing IV fluid therapy was reduced by an average of 58% in the
first 24 hours after the injury (range 37-78%). ORT may be a feasible
alternative to IV fluid therapy in the resuscitation of burns. It could
also potentially save many lives in mass casualty situations or in
resource-poor settings where IV fluid therapy is not immediately
available. Further studies are needed to assess the efficacy of this
treatment and to determine whether the present formulations of ORT for
cholera need modification
From Cholera to Burns: A Role for Oral Rehydration Therapy
According to the practice guidelines of the American Burn Association
on burn shock resuscitation, intravenous (IV) fluid therapy is the
standard of care for the replacement of fluid and electrolyte losses in
burn injury of ≥20% of the total body surface area. However, in
mass burn casualties, IV fluid resuscitation may be delayed or
unavailable. Oral rehydration therapy (ORT), which has been shown to be
highly effective in the treatment of dehydration in epidemics of
cholera, could be an alternate way to replace fluid losses in burns. A
prospective case series of three patients was carried out as an initial
step to establish whether oral Ceralyte®90 could replace fluid
losses requiring IV fluid therapy in thermal injury. The requirement of
the continuing IV fluid therapy was reduced by an average of 58% in the
first 24 hours after the injury (range 37-78%). ORT may be a feasible
alternative to IV fluid therapy in the resuscitation of burns. It could
also potentially save many lives in mass casualty situations or in
resource-poor settings where IV fluid therapy is not immediately
available. Further studies are needed to assess the efficacy of this
treatment and to determine whether the present formulations of ORT for
cholera need modification