• M B Estébanez-Montiel, M Quintana-Díaz, A García de Lorenzo y Mateos, R Blancas Gomez-Casero, J Acosta-Escribano, P Marcos-Neira, and Transfusions and Blood Products and Metabolism and Nutrition work groups of Spanish Society of Intensive Care and Coronary Units (Sociedad Española de Medicina Intensiva y Unidades Coronarias, SEMICYUC).
• Servicio de Medicina Intensiva, Hospital Universitario del Tajo, Aranjuez, Madrid, España. Electronic address: belenestebanez@yahoo.es.
• Med Intensiva. 2014 Oct 1; 38 (7): 403-12.

BackgroundHuman albumin solutions are used in a number of disorders, though their indications are not clear in all circumstances. These solutions are costly, and their benefit has not been established in all settings. It is therefore interesting to assess the presence of albumin solutions in the daily clinical practice of critical care professionals.ObjectivesTo report the standard clinical practices and to describe the variability of albumin solutions use in critically ill patients.DesignA survey sent by e-mail to Spanish and South American Intensive Care Units (ICUs)PeriodPlanning and execution during the year 2012.MethodsA questionnaire comprising 35 questions.ResultsFifty-seven surveys were analyzed. The use of albumin solutions was sporadic or negligible in critically ill patients (96.5%). The exceptions were patients with liver disease (87.7% of the responders administered albumin to these patients). A high percentage of professionals claimed to know the available scientific evidence on the use of albumin in patients with liver disease (82.5%) and in patients without liver disease (77.2%). Only 5.3% of the responders preferred to rely on their own experience to establish the indications of albumin use.ConclusionsThe use of albumin solutions is infrequent in ICUs, except in patients with liver disease. Evidence-based knowledge on albumin use is declared to be extensive in ICUs. As a rule, opinions on the use of albumin solutions are based on the scientific recommendations, especially in patients with liver disease. Professional experience rarely prevails over the published clinical guidelines.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

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