First 10EM - By Justin Morgenstern - January 31,
Bottom line
“As we probably should have predicted, it is very unlikely that normal saline is killing patients. It is very unlikely that normal saline is damaging kidneys. The best available evidence suggests that any crystalloid fluid is reasonable. Normal saline remains my fluid of choice in most situations as balanced fluids have more medication incompatibilities that can complicate resuscitation and delay important therapies, but honestly I don’t think this choice matters too much at all.
If you want to make a difference on patient outcomes with your choice of IV fluids, I think the key is probably to give less of whatever you choose.”