Resuscitation in Acute Haemorrhage

Abstract

While some of the details of resuscitation of the bleeding patient remain contentious, the basic principles are clear. Adequate resuscitation implies the prompt restoration of tissue oxygenation by achievement and maintenance of airway patency, adequate ventilation, cardiac rhythm and intravascular volume. The choice of fluid for primary resuscitation is considerably less important than the care with which it ought to be administered. The volume of fluid required for primary resuscitation varies and there is no well-defined endpoint against which to titrate fluid resuscitation. However, as the complications and mortality of shock are related to the degree and the duration of shock, definitive (usually surgical) intervention should be undertaken early if the clinical features of shock cannot be readily reversed or if the maintenance of clinically adequate perfusion cannot be achieved with the administration of less than 200 ml of fluid per hour.