In the largest randomized controlled trial to date, prehospital hypertonic fluid therapy did not improve neurological outcomes in patients with severe blunt head trauma without hypovolemic shock.
Hypertonic fluid therapy diminishes cerebral edema and enhances systemic perfusion pressure in patients with severe blunt head injury, but its effect on neurological outcome is unknown. In a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, researchers evaluated the effect of hypertonic fluid in patients >15 years who had sustained severe blunt closed head injury (prehospital Glasgow Coma Scale score <8) and did not have hypovolemic shock (systolic blood pressure ≤70 mm Hg or 71–90 mm Hg with a pulse ≥108 beats per minute). Patients were randomized to receive an initial fluid bolus of 250 mL of 7.5% saline, 7.5% saline/6% dextran 70, or 0.9% saline within 4 hours of the dispatch call.
Six-month outcome data were available for …